KC Chiefs: Questions to address along offensive line in 2020 offseason
The KC Chiefs have their quarterback of the future, now they need an offensive line to protect him. They’ll have a lot of questions to address this offseason when it comes to the offensive line.
This past season, the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line surrendered 26 sacks throughout the course of the regular season (Patrick Mahomes was sacked 17 times and Matt Moore was sacked eight times). Throughout the postseason, Mahomes was taken to the ground a total of six times.
Overall, the Chiefs offensive line was decent in 2019, but we started to see cracks form throughout the playoff run. The line had a particularly tough time in Super Bowl LIV, but to be fair, that Niners defensive line was scary.
Mahomes has proven he’s the franchise quarterback for the Chiefs, but now the team has to do their part in protecting him. Left tackle Eric Fisher and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz have been great during their time in Kansas City, with Schwartz being the best free agent signing this organization has made in a long time.
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The interior offensive line is where the questions arise however.
The three starters in the Super Bowl were Stefen Wisniewski at left guard, Austin Reiter at center, and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif at right guard. It’s entirely possible that none of those three are back in 2020. Those are the biggest questions to answer this spring.
Wisniewski is the only free agent out of the bunch, but the Chiefs can save $5 million by cutting LDT this offseason. Reiter is still under contract too and it’s doubtful the Chiefs move on from him unless they plan to select a center early on in the draft.
Re-signing Wisniewski would be a very smart move by the team, as he played well down the stretch. He replaced Andrew Wylie, who was both hurt and ineffective as the season progressed. Wylie could either be a utility lineman this year or could be cut all together.
The Chiefs also have Martinas Rankin, who could potentially be an option to fill in at guard, though his listed position is at tackle. Rankin looked good in the limited games he appeared in this past season and his recovery from injury will determine where the Chiefs slot him in at.
The Chiefs could save a significant amount of money by parting ways with LDT, Wylie, and Reiter this offseason, but none of those guys are locks to be cut. LDT has been a good player during his time with the Chiefs, but injuries and his large contract could be reason enough to cut ties there.
Wylie won the team’s rookie of the year award in 2017 and looked to be on his way to being a nice success story, but dropped off tremendously this past season. Reiter is fine, but like I said, if the team can find a better center, Reiter is cuttable.
The biggest question will be what the team plans to do about Laurent Duvernay-Tardif’s contract. If they keep him, they’ll owe him a little over $6 million in 2020. If they cut him, they’ll need to have a game plan at right guard.
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Having an offensive line that gels is vital, especially for teams with a franchise quarterback. If the KC Chiefs want to keep Mahomes as healthy as possible, providing him with an excellent offensive line is an absolute must.