How Kansas City Chiefs can replace Stefen Wisniewski in 2020

By Leigh Oleszczak | Apr 16, 2020

MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 02: Stefen Wisniewski #61 of the Kansas City Chiefs blocks against DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The Chiefs won the game 31-20. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

One of the biggest free agent losses this offseason was that of offensive guard Stefen Wisniewski, who signed with the Steelers this offseason. How will the Kansas City Chiefs go about replacing him in 2020 and beyond?

If someone had told Kansas City Chiefs fans this time last year that one of their biggest free agent losses over the offseason would be a guy who wasn’t even on the roster, fans would have been skeptical. That’s just what we’re looking at right now, however, as Stefen Wisniewski‘s tenure in Kansas City was brief, but valuable.

Wisniewski chose to sign with the Steelers for 2020 though and now the Chiefs are tasked with finding a replacement at left guard. That’s definitely easier said than done, as left guard has been a black hole for several years now.

The easiest answer in regards to replacing Wisniewski at left guard for 2020 is slotting Andrew Wylie there. Wylie had a nice 2017 season along the line and he’s been mostly a backup lineman during his time in Kansas City.

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Wylie struggled in 2019, however, and after getting injured, the Chiefs plugged Wisniewski in. Even once Wylie was healthy and ready to play again, he didn’t get his job back at left guard.

The rest of the line looks mostly set with Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz at the two tackle spots, Austin Reiter at center, and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif at right guard. LDT’s contract was a storyline this offseason, but with the Chiefs not having cut bait with him yet, it’s a safe bet that he’ll still be the right guard come opening weekend.

Another option for replacing Wisniewski is drafting a lineman in the 2020 NFL Draft who either played guard in college or is willing to make the move to the interior part of the line. A player like Cesar Ruiz out of Michigan has been mocked to the Chiefs in a few mock drafts and would fit what they’re looking for.

Wisniewski spent limited time in Kansas City, playing in 14 total games (both regular season and playoffs) and helped the unit gel. While Brett Veach has done a nice job retaining players from last year’s Super Bowl winning squad, Wisniewski not returning is definitely the most painful because he provided stability along the line.

Unless the Chiefs go with an offensive lineman in the early rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft, Andrew Wylie will probably get a shot at the left guard job and he’s currently listed as the starter on the team’s official depth chart. If they do add someone capable of playing guard, then it should be an intriguing position battle to watch for 2020.

How do you want to see the Kansas City Chiefs replace Stefen Wisniewski in 2020 and beyond?

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