{"id":63779,"date":"2025-05-23T09:28:03","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T09:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=63779"},"modified":"2025-05-23T09:32:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T09:32:26","slug":"bill-barnwell-isnt-sold-on-the-chiefs-changes-to-the-offensive-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=63779","title":{"rendered":"Bill Barnwell isn\u2019t sold on the Chiefs\u2019 changes to the offensive line"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Chargers<\/em><\/p>\n

On Thursday, ESPN\u2019s Bill Barnwell took a senior class yearbook approach to one of the NFL\u2019s conferences, <\/em>summarizing the offseason of every AFC team with a superlative. Most of them were pretty negative \u2014 and his thoughts about the <\/em>Kansas City Chiefs were no exception.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Kansas City Chiefs<\/strong>
\nThe superlative:<\/strong> Most likely to slide their pass protection to the left<\/p>\n

For the second time in the Patrick Mahomes era, the Chiefs lost a Super Bowl in which their offensive line was overwhelmed by the opposing pass rush. General manager Brett Veach responded to that first defeat by rebuilding the line with future standouts. He traded draft picks to acquire left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., signed top Patriots guard Joe Thuney and drafted future stars in center Creed Humphrey and guard Trey Smith in 2021. Those four became the core of a great line that helped Kansas City make it to the past three Super Bowls.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no surprise Veach reinvested in the offensive line this offseason, but the Chiefs\u2019 moves are a little more controversial this time around. After franchise-tagging Smith, he traded Thuney to the Bears, getting a fourth-round pick for a player who was a first-team All-Pro in 2024, albeit a 32-year-old who is a year away from free agency. Thuney was overmatched in the Super Bowl at left tackle, but he\u2019s still an excellent, reliable guard.<\/p>\n

The additions are hardly sure things, especially for 2025. At left tackle, the Chiefs signed lineman Jaylon Moore \u2014 who mostly served as Trent Williams\u2019 backup and has only 12 career starts \u2014 to a deal guaranteeing $21.2 million. There\u2019s nothing wrong with sitting behind a future Hall of Famer, but that\u2019s a lot of money for an inexperienced, unproven tackle, especially one who is expected to be protecting Mahomes\u2019 blindside in Week 1. Andy Reid has earned some benefit of the doubt with offensive line evaluation, but defenses were able to overload Moore\u2019s plate at times last season. I would expect them to test Moore\u2019s ability to deal with duals and unexpected rushers early in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Read Barnwell\u2019s <\/em>complete view on the Chiefs here.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

My take<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Essentially, Barnwell is choosing to view all of Kansas City\u2019s offensive line adjustments in the worst possible light \u2014 and that\u2019s OK. We must be prepared for the possibility that Veach has blown his most important offseason project. But is it fair to characterize these moves as \u201ca little more controversial\u201d than those made in 2021?<\/p>\n

Of the four moves Veach made on the offensive line that year, only Thuney\u2019s signing was a sure thing \u2014 and even then, the Chiefs\u2019 GM was criticized for overpaying the longtime New England Patriots guard.<\/p>\n

While Brown had spent most of the previous season playing left tackle in place of the injured Ronnie Stanley, it was in the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 run-based offense; no one was entirely sure he\u2019d do well in the Kansas City offense.<\/p>\n

To be sure, Humphrey was a well-regarded second-round pick \u2014 but he was still going to be starting as a rookie. And although Smith has proven to be a top-flight guard, the medical issues that made him fall to the draft\u2019s sixth round justified plenty of skepticism about his acquisition.<\/p>\n

So while Barnwell\u2019s suspicion about Veach\u2019s 2025 moves isn\u2019t inappropriate, it\u2019s not that far removed from what fans felt four years ago; it\u2019s only with the benefit of hindsight that the 2021 rebuild looks so good.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true<\/strong>: Moore has only a small number of NFL starts \u2014 fewer than Brown when he came to Kansas City. But Brown had roughly the same number as Moore at the position he would play<\/em>. And the Chiefs should be more comfortable with the former San Francisco 49ers\u2019 tackle adjusting to the system than fans ever were with Brown.<\/p>\n

And, it\u2019s true<\/strong>: Simmons might not be ready to play until 2026. If that\u2019s how it plays out (and as long as Moore is an effective stopgap), the $21.2 million the Chiefs have promised him will be a bargain. It will be a lot if he ends up being a swing tackle, but considering that the team has lost two league championship games largely because of issues on the offensive line, is that something fans should worry about?<\/p>\n

That brings us to Suamataia. It\u2019s reasonable to be concerned about his ability to play as an NFL guard; he didn\u2019t inspire much confidence playing outside during his rookie season. Yet every year, we see college tackles with no NFL experience successfully transition to guard. Isn\u2019t it possible that Suamataia could make the adjustments that many other players have made in his second year? And if he can\u2019t, the Chiefs have other players who can step in.<\/p>\n

Barnwell is right: there are reasons to be worried about Kansas City\u2019s offensive line. But it\u2019s not like the Chiefs haven\u2019t been here before.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a new analysis, the ESPN analyst gives an unfavorable view of Kansas City\u2019s biggest offseason moves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":63783,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nBill Barnwell isn\u2019t sold on the Chiefs\u2019 changes to the offensive line - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=63779\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bill Barnwell isn\u2019t sold on the Chiefs\u2019 changes to the offensive line - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a new analysis, the ESPN analyst gives an unfavorable view of Kansas City\u2019s biggest offseason moves.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=63779\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-23T09:28:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-23T09:32:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Thiet-ke-chua-co-ten-1-116.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=63779\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=63779\",\"name\":\"Bill Barnwell isn\u2019t sold on the Chiefs\u2019 changes to the offensive line - 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