Kansas City Chiefs: Projecting the offensive line

Right Guard: Laurent Dunvernay-Tardif

One of the most exciting players off the field for the Chiefs is right guard Laurent Dunvernay-Tardif (LDT). While playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, LDT has also kept busy during the offseason reaching his medical degrees in Canada. The young guard graduated medical school this offseason and is now an MD.

While the NFL won’t let him put the MD on his jersey, it’s a huge moment for the young player. The former 2014 sixth-round pick needed a lot of development when he first joined the team, but each season LDT has taken a large leap in his game. In fact, LDT earned a long-term contract last offseason with the Chiefs worth five years, $42,363,000.

Each season he has gotten better, and there’s no reason to think that 2018 will be any different. Many fans were unhappy with the contract, mainly because it was before safety Eric Berry received his contract, but it seemed the Chiefs were paying him for what they think he would become early on before the bigger contracts from other organizations got signed.

It seems that they did themselves a favor too. LDT ranks 24th in overall 2018 CAP hit among all NFL guards. There’s no doubt that LDT is quickly becoming one of the better guards in the league and his contract will help keep him here in Kansas City on a deal that doesn’t break the bank.

Last season LDT rated at a 78.2 by Pro Football Focus. His pass blocking was his strength with an above average grade, and I expect his entire rating to be at least above average in 2018 if he continues to get better like he has done every season. Working with the same two guys on either side of him will help with that.