The Kansas City Chiefs offensive line was the main story of the team’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Philadelphia’s defensive line generated a pass rush of 38.1%, sacking Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes six times without sending a single blitz.
Kansas City used four left tackles this season: Kingsley Suamataia, D.J. Humphries, Wanya Morris and Joe Thuney. Thuney moved over from left guard to left tackle late in the year after Morris was benched in Week 13. The Chiefs need a left tackle, but they also have a problem with their starting right guard, Trey Smith. The 25-year-old offensive lineman isn’t under contract for next season. Instead of trying to fill two holes on the offensive line, Kansas City is eager to ensure Smith is back with the team this year.
Last Thursday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Chiefs told Smith they would use the franchise tag on him. The one-year tender is expected to be $23.4 million, making him the league’s highest-paid guard. If the Chiefs don’t work out a long-term deal, Smith could play under the franchise tag this season. $23.4 million is a good amount for a right guard, and paying Smith will likely cost Kansas City other roster upgrades.
Smith is coming off his first Pro Bowl season and deserves to be rewarded for his performance. However, Sam McDowell from The Kansas City Star worries that placing the franchise tag on Smith could prevent the team from acquiring a veteran left tackle.
“The Chiefs, sources say, are cautious about ‘reaching’ for an offensive tackle — such as overspending in free agency or plucking a third-round draft talent in the first round,” McDowell wrote. “Smith’s franchise tag increases the possibility that they could kick the left-tackle can down the road and hope for a better group a year from now and throw (Jawaan) Taylor and Thuney’s money at the problem. They might have little other choice.”
Kansas City will likely be unable to afford a big-time free-agent left tackle due to the money they are handing out to the rest of the team, but the NFL Draft is a great way to find a cheap option.
A recent mock draft by Pro Football Focus features five offensive tackles in the first round, indicating a deep class for Kansas City to find their next franchise-changing left tackle.
