Kansas City Chiefs: Projecting the offensive line

Left Tackle: Eric Fisher

Left tackle Eric Fisher tends to get most of the blame when it comes to the offensive line. Some of it is earned, but some of it is out of his control. After being drafted first overall in the 2013 NFL Draft by new general manager John Dorsey, Fisher has not met many expectations. To be fair, none of the first round offensive linemen taken that year have panned out, and Fisher is at least still starting for a team.

Kansas City has struggled to find someone to plug next to Fisher at the left guard position the last few seasons. When Fisher has someone he can trust in that guard position, his play is much better. Instead, with players like Bryan Witzmann taking the role, you often see Fisher trying to cover two positions and getting out of place not trusting his fellow lineman.

In 2017, Pro Football Focus rated Fisher as the 38th best tackle in the league. According to their stats, he also allowed seven sacks last season. I absolutely believe that Fisher is significantly better than the 38th in the league. I’m not going to praise him as a top ten tackle in the league, but I would go middle of the pack. Even average left tackles are hard to find in this league, and I think that’s what Fisher is.

If Kansas City doesn’t find someone better to plug in at left guard, we could see a similar performance. Although, after a year playing with Witzmann, we could see some continuity. Adding Mahomes pocket presence and not dropping into the tackle lanes as Smith did in 2017, I think Fisher will have a better 2018 season.

According to Spotrac, Fisher has a CAP hit of $13.95 million in 2018 making him the third-highest paid left tackle in the NFL. While that contract may seem steep, it’s not a surprise as former general manager John Dorsey was known for his overspending on contracts. Given the large contract, Kansas City won’t be able to drop Fisher until 2020 after June 1. Here’s to hoping for a better performance in 2018 with help next to him.