Kansas City Chiefs: Larry Warford could help shore up offensive line

The Kansas City Chiefs had a very quiet free agency, opting to try and manage their cap space and re-sign most of last years squad instead of making a splash signing. Larry Warford should be on their radar though.

A few moves allowed the Kansas City Chiefs to do have a quiet free agency, like restructuring Laurant Duvernay-Tardif, M.D. and Sammy Watkins. The release of Dustin Colquitt also gave the Chiefs a little flexibility. Most of that space is either used up or set aside for the rookie draft class, but that doesn’t mean the Chiefs can’t make any moves.

That is where recent free agent guard Larry Warford comes in. A cap casualty by the New Orleans Saints, Warford played guard for them from 2017-2019, and all three of his seasons in the big easy ended with Warford being selected to the Pro-Bowl. He is only 28 years old and fits a position of need for Kansas City.

The Chiefs are set at tackle. Mitchell Schwartz is one of the more criminally underrated players in recent memory, and his play at right tackle is never less than excellent. At left tackle, the Chiefs have Eric Fisher, a former number one overall pick and a player who shook off early career bust whispers with solid play and a Pro-Bowl nod.

The interior of the line has more question marks, however and the guard spots are going to see heavy competition.

Martinas Rankin, Andrew Wylie, LDT, and rookie draft pick Lucas Niang could all compete for both guard spots. While all of those players have potential and/or have shown flashes before, none of them have shown they can play at the level of Warford.

Warford only gave up two sacks last year, and is a phenomenal piece in the run game. Signing Warford goes beyond just beefing up one position along the line, too.

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If the Chiefs were to bring in Warford, all the players mentioned above would then be going after one position, maybe two if the Chiefs want to try anyone out at center to compete with Austin Reiter.

That would also allow Niang, a rookie, to stay at his natural position and play the vital role of sixth man swing tackle that can play all along the line. Rankin, Wylie and the Doctor could all duke it out for the right guard position, and the two who don’t win the job would add superb depth to the team.

Last year, we saw Fisher, Wylie, Rankin and Duvernay-Tardif all miss time. The offense really struggled at times protecting Patrick Mahomes in that stretch, and Mahomes suffered multiple ankle injuries in part because of it. Signing Warford would guarantee the Chiefs can at least trot out a competent starting five in front of Mahomes at all time, even if the injury bug strikes.

The only problem with this signing is the money. It is really going to be hard to tell what Warford is looking for here. This late in the offseason, most teams already have a good chunk of their cap space used up. That could prompt Warford to take a one year deal so he can reset and enter free agency next year. That would be ideal for the Chiefs.

If Warford is looking for a larger or longer payday, however, it will probably force the Kansas City Chiefs to pass. Either way, if Brett Veach can make the money work, Larry Warford would be an excellent signing for the team.

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