The Kansas City Chiefs know where the most pressing roster need is, and it isn’t close.
After the Super Bowl debacle that saw Patrick Mahomes running for his life, coupled with the trade of star guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears, the offensive line, and more pointedly, left tackle is the red blinking light on general manager Brett Veach’s dashboard.
With many media outlets mocking a tackle to the Chiefs via the draft, the franchise could explore plenty of veteran options. One was Baltimore Ravens free agent Ronnie Stanley, who was a Pro Bowler last season, and the other is Minnesota Viking Cam Robinson.
CBS Sports has picked one free agent who would be a solid fit for each AFC team, and for the Chiefs, it is Robinson who they land on.
“What became utterly apparent for Kansas City in its Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia is that their offensive line isn’t up to snuff,” CBS Sports writes. “Down the stretch, the team was forced to kick Joe Thuney — a guard — to left tackle. Now, they need to find a more permanent fix to that issue, particularly on the blindside. Robinson is set to hit the open market after being traded from Jacksonville to Minnesota last season. While he isn’t as talented (or costly) as Ronnie Stanley, the 29-year-old should be serviceable enough to get the K.C. O-line back to a respectable level.”
Nov 10, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) battles against Minnesota Vikings tackle Cam Robinson (74) in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium.
Stanley on Saturday re-upped with the Ravens on a three-year, $60 million deal.
So … next idea?
After being traded to the Vikings, Robinson played all 10 regular-season games plus the playoff loss and had an overall 2024 PFF grade of 64.7, ranking him 56th out of 141 tackles.
The one downside is penalties. Robinson had 13 of them last season, and with Jawaan Taylor having major issues in that department, having both tackles be penalty-prone isn’t ideal.
Still, Robinson offers a veteran presence, one that Mahomes could easily trust to get the job done. His $14 million APY market value per Spotracom.com will likely be too high for the Chiefs, so expect a cheaper deal to come his way.
There are a host of ways the Chiefs could go, but in Robinson, they get a solid enough left tackle and fill a much-needed roster hole.
