The Kansas City Chiefs have figured out the winning formula to become only the second dynasty in the salary cap and free agency era. Yet, their offensive line has emerged as a nagging Achilles’ heel with no apparent remedy.
The Chiefs have made five Super Bowl appearances over the last six years, and they’ve started a different player at left tackle in each of those games. That figure will grow if they make another Super Bowl appearance — Kansas City is undergoing turnover at the blindside position once again.
Kansas City signed right guard Trey Smith to a long-term extension, but they were forced to trade left guard Joe Thuney — who played left tackle in Super Bowl LIX — due to salary cap restrictions. The team’s search to find a long-term blindside protector for quarterback Patrick Mahomes will continue, and they’re unlikely to find a solution in the upcoming draft.
Chiefs won’t have many viable left tackle options in the 2025 NFL Draft
The lack of financial flexibility limited the Chiefs in free agency, but they may not find many options in the 2025 NFL Draft either. Three of the top four draft prospects — LSU’s Will Campbell, Missouri’s Armand Membou and Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr. — will be long gone by the time the Chiefs select a player with the No. 31 overall pick, per The Athletic.
Kansas City’s best remaining option would be Ohio State’s Josh Simmons, who could fall down the board due to a non-contact knee injury he suffered in October. Simmons was considered to be one of the top offensive tackle prospects before the injury, and he gave up just one sack over 19 career starts at left tackle. He also didn’t allow a single pressure in six games before the injury last season.
While Simmons remains a possibility, the Chiefs already have 2024 second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia and third-year tackle Wanya Morris to develop. They also signed left tackle Jaylon Moore in free agency, who will likely end up as the starter. With that much depth at the position, Kansas City may opt to spend their first-round pick on the defensive line instead.
The Chiefs have $80.6 million invested in their offensive line, approximately 27.4 percent of the team’s total salary cap space, second-most in the league, per Spotrac.
