After a season of multiple faces playing left tackle, the Kansas City Chiefs are making protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes a priority this offseason.
After a revolving door at left tackle during the regular season and the six-sack nightmare in Super Bowl LIX, it’s no secret what the Kansas City Chiefs’ priority will be this offseason:
Offensive line.
(Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
Four different players started at left tackle for the Chiefs in 2024: Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris, D.J. Humphries and Joe Thuney.
With head coach Andy Reid indicating that Thuney, who earned team MVP honors for his late-season efforts at left tackle, will likely resume his spot at left guard in 2025, K.C. is desperate for an LT.
The problem is, unlike last year, April’s NFL Draft is relatively light at the position.
“I told Andy the other day that the best way to get a left tackle is to have a really bad season, get a Top 10 pick and take one in the draft,” general manager Brett Veach joked at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “But that’s not the way we do things around here. We have to be a little more creative.”
In the 2024 NFL Draft Veach said the Chiefs had seven offensive linemen with first-round grades, but all were gone in the first 19 picks.
“The depth at the position just isn’t there,” Veach said. “So we’ve got to look hard at it, and it free agency.”
Obviously, protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes is paramount to the Chiefs attempting to make a fourth consecutive Super Bowl next season.
“We’re keeping everything wide open there as we do this thing,” Reid said. “We’re really digging in on what’s available potentially in free agency and what’s available in the draft. It’s probably too early to go there, but that’s a position that we’re looking at for sure.”
Part of the equation is not only at left tackle, but also at guard where veteran Trey Smith is set to become a free agent on March 12.
“He’s obviously at the top of the list. We’ve already had some good dialogue with him and his crew. There’s obviously a lot to work through, but this is the time of year to do that,” Veach said. “Again, we’ve already had some initial dialogue, and that will continue on this week…We’ll certainly do what we can, and I feel pretty optimistic about our possibilities there.”
