Dating back to their infamous Super Bowl LV loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Kansas City Chiefs have routinely made a concerted effort to keep their offensive line in tip-top shape. After all, protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes is paramount. Maintaining a sound running game, as the club recently did en route to a championship, also carries importance.
With that in mind, how good of a job has general manager Brett Veach done in that regard? A recent list indicates that it’s more than just a passing grade.
In an article for Pro Football Focus, Zoltán Buday ranked all 32 NFL offensive lines. Kansas City cracked the top 10, checking in at the No. 7 spot.
“Joe Thuney might be the best pass-blocking guard in the league, while Creed Humphrey is now often considered the best center in the NFL,” Buday wrote. “Right guard Trey Smith could also be the league’s most underrated offensive lineman despite being the 10th-highest-graded guard in 2023. Those three form arguably the NFL’s top interior trio. Whereas the interior is stout, there are many questions surrounding the Chiefs’ offensive tackles, including whether Jawaan Taylor can bounce back after a disappointing 2023 season.”
The outlet’s own advanced metrics suggest a solid ranking for the Chiefs’ front five as well. When including the regular season and playoffs, the unit ranked seventh in pass blocking grade and 16th in run blocking grade last season. Humphrey (81.4), Thuney (74.9) and Smith (74.6) all finished with composite offensive grades above 70. The interior helped keep Mahomes clean, also paving the way for running back Isiah Pacheco to threaten for a 1,000-yard rushing campaign.
Four of the same five starters – Thuney, Humphrey, Smith and Taylor – remain in place for 2024. The only question is who will start at left tackle to begin the year. A season ago, veteran Donovan Smith manned the position up front. He was briefly relieved by then-rookie Wanya Morris due to injury, although he returned in time for the playoffs. Morris is still present, but second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia is looking over his shoulder.
In June, head coach Andy Reid indicated that a decision on the starter won’t be made until training camp and the preseason are underway.
“Listen, they’ve both done a nice job,” Reid said. “So [we] like the production we’re seeing from both of them. Both of them are young guys. We’ll just see how it all finishes up through camp — it’s a good competition. We’re going to end up playing the five best guys, and we’ll go from there. We’ll just see how it all plays out.”
Even with that situation being murky, the Chiefs have a rock-solid lineup everywhere else. Being able to count on four of five starters is a privilege in the modern NFL. Given offensive line coach Andy Heck’s track record and Mahomes’s elite ability to avoid sacks, Kansas City should be just fine. It’s hard to disagree too much with the ranking of seventh overall.
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Source link : https://www.si.com/nfl/chiefs/gm-report/is-chiefs-offensive-line-among-nfls-10-best-recent-list-says-yes
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Publish date : 2024-07-02 10:30:00
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