KC Chiefs: What Mike Remmers’ return means for the offensive line
Mike Remmers is back with the KC Chiefs. How might the offensive line be impacted by this move?
Kansas City Chiefs fans seemed confident that the team would be able to retain offensive lineman Mike Remmers and for good reason. Remmers is back for the 2021 season and this is great news for an offensive line that is going to need all the help it can get.
The Chiefs have put in a ton of effort to lock down offensive line depth this offseason and Remmers is another example of that. First, the Chiefs signed 28-year-old Joe Thuney to a five-year deal, making him KC’s left guard for the next half decade. Secondly, they signed Kyle Long, who came out of retirement this offseason and can provide KC with either a right guard or right tackle.
Now Remmers is back on a one-year deal. What should Chiefs fans expect the offensive line to look like with Remmers back in the picture?
The Chiefs have signed Mike Remmers to a 1-year deal worth up to $6.8 million with $3.3 million guaranteed, a source confirmed. Remmers will be at right tackle, likely in a competition with rookie Lucas Niang.
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) March 18, 2021
And yes, the Chiefs are still pursuing a veteran left tackle.
Mike Remmers is going to compete for the starting right tackle spot for the KC Chiefs.
We’ll start with right tackle, which is where Remmers is going to fight for a starting spot, per Nate Taylor’s tweet listed above. His competition will be Lucas Niang, who will technically be a rookie this year despite being the team’s third-round pick in 2020 (he opted out of the season). Niang played right tackle in college and was very good there, but not playing in 2020 and Remmers being so reliable at the position probably gives the veteran the edge out of the gate.
Right guard is going to come down to Kyle Long and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, both of whom missed the 2020 season (Long due to retirement, LDT due to opting out). Center is still up in the air, though an Austin Reiter return seems to be trending upwards. If Reiter doesn’t return, Nick Allegretti might be an option to play center.
Left guard is definitely Thuney’s job, as the Chiefs aren’t paying him $80 million to not play his best position. Last, but not least, left tackle is still a massive question mark. Whoever loses the right tackle job between Remmers and Niang should not be put into the left tackle position unless this team is truly desperate.
What’s good with Remmers’ return is that he’s not only an experienced lineman, but he can play just about anywhere on the line. He spent time at left guard and right tackle for Kansas City last year, but saw most of his action at right tackle.
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The return of Remmers gives the Chiefs some flexibility with what they can do with their offensive line, but they still need to find a left tackle capable of protecting Patrick Mahomes’ blindside.