Chiefs Brett Veach Legend Grows: A Marvelous 2021 Offseason

I have written before, and if you have followed me at all at ArrowheadOne, I am writing again about the Kansas City Chiefs GM, Brett Veach whom I personify as a “Maverick” GM. As near as I am able to ascertain, in three solid years as GM he has constructed a roster of players that has strength and longevity, piece by puzzle piece. He has worked arm in hand with the coaching staff. His scouting crew has done masterful work on the road and the front office money-changers have worked miracles with contracts, the cap and financial outlays to put things together. I can tell you this much: The Chiefs unified effort is firing on all cylinders for the Kingdom and the effort is all going towards the Kingdom under the tutelage of Clark Hunt (managing owner) and Brett Veach!

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The Chiefs efforts are unified in all facets of the business to put a product on the field that “sells” but not just that, a team of high character that has members all pulling for one another, even when business decisions are made where a player must depart. The Chiefs are a team with which the rest of the NFL must contend for a decade(at least) to come.

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When Veterans were needed, Brett Veach constructed transactions which brought the proper experienced players to the fold while at the same time, adding fresh faces with the draft and various other signings. In other words, Brett Veach, as I wrote not to long ago is going where no GM has gone before.

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I am not going to review the preceding seasons but will note: 3 AFC Championships, Two AFC Hunt Trophies and one Lombardi. Indeed, we can review the almost year of 2018 and a penalty that kept them from appearing in the Super Bowl for the 2018 season. It is clear to me that when Andy came to KC he brought along a specific component of the Chief’s future: Brett Veach. Veach worked his way up the scouting chain to the front line focus point of the football operation at One Arrowhead Way. The two men now form a unified field theory duo, the Chief’s effective “Brain Trust”. Yes, bringing along Brett Veach demonstrates Andy Reid’s Vision and it comes to fruition as we witness Brett Veach in operation.

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The 2021 Offseason Effort

The starting point for 2021’s effort stemmed from the shellacking that over took the team in Super Bowl LV. The Chiefs, as most outsiders would have observed were they honestly appraising the situation, had a weakness that was not addressed in preceding drafts. This was made worse as player after player was injured and out for the season. This began in the off-season when LD-T decided to opt out to help in the medical field and Lucas NIang Opted out before even getting started. Then mini-disasters struck when, in week five Kelechi Osemele sustained serious knee injuries and in week six as Mitch Schwartz back injury kept him off the field–for the rest of the season. Then in the AFL Championship game, the Chiefs lost the 2nd of their Bookend OT’s when Eric Fisher ruptured his Achilles tendon. At about the same time, Andy Reid’s son was involved in a serious tragedy himself, which had to have affected Andy Reid as he approached coaching in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs suffered a beating and lost 9-33…not only that, QB Patrick Mahomes valiantly fled the onslaught but could not overcome the piecemeal offensive line that was fielded. He was fortunate to avoid injury altogether.

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Losing Set the Stage

The Super Bowl loss set the stage for the reconstruction of an offensive line as follows and it was accomplished in about two months.

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Move One

Releasing Veterans Eric Fisher and Mitch Schwartz who depart the Kingdom and Austin Reiter who was tendered but did not sign his offer, departed as well; Kelechi Osemele was not tendered for 2021

Move Two

Veach signs a top F/A LOG of the Patriots – Joe Thuney

Move Three

The next signing was bringing aboard a three time Pro Bowler, former Chicago Bear’s ROG Kyle Long

Move Four

Solidifying the Left side, Veach pursued, wooed and traded with an enemy Ravens to obtain one of the top OT’s in the NFL, and brought aboard former Ravens and OU Offensive tackle Orlando Brown, Jr. for the starting LOT empty slot

Move Five

Brett Veach then signed former Rams F/A Center Austin Blythe

Move Six

Brett Veach signed with is second, second round draft pick OU Center Creed Humphrey, the future of the Chiefs in the role for the next 10 years

Move Seven

In the draft, Veach selected in the 6th round a player who had second round pick written all over him but plummeted due to health issues. That player won’t be held back down for long. Veach drafted OG Trey Smith of UTenn

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I see this as a marvel. I have very high regard for departed OT’s Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz. I also have great respect for Long, Thuney and Brown. They are more than just solid additions for the front five. Blythe has been a three year starter in the NFL, Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith are top draft picks and Lucas Niang, drafted in round 4 of 2019 joins the crew at the same time the other Chiefs draftees get to camp.

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Now, I know that Andy Reid believes in starting veterans, but I still I think Lucas Niang and Creed Humphrey will be the starting ROT and Center come opening day. It is also true that I have high regard for Trey Smith. It’s illogical to believe that all three rookies will take the field on opening day. It may well be that Niang is held out a year to get NFL time, but he’s NFL ready. I doubt that Creed is going to be held off by Blythe.

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Could the OL Future Arrive Now?

If these 3 players — Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith and Lucas Niang — were drafted across any three year period, you would expect them to become starters for that season. Yes, Trey Smith was a 6th round pick, but he should have been drafted much higher and had not the blood clot health problem held him back, he could have risen to a round one level. Be that as it may, the Future starting OL for 2022 will be:

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Brown – Thuney – Humphrey – Smith – Niang

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Draft Picks For Specific Acquisitions

Because the 1st and 3rd Round picks were used to obtain Orlando Brown in a trade, the Chiefs made strategic draft selections with their other selections at positions of high need: in Round 2 they selected Missouri LB Nick Bolton (their first pick in the draft, #58 overall), also added Clemson WR Cornell Powell (their 5th pick in the draft, #181 overall), FSU DE Josh Kaindoh (their 3rd pick in the draft, #144 overall) and Duke TE Noah Gray their 4th pick in the draft, #162 overall).

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Then, two weeks later, Veach traded late round picks in the 2022 draft with the Minnesota Vikings to obtain CB Mike Hughes.

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Of course we won’t know how well this draft works out but I placed an asterisk beside the names of these other draft picks who I believe will become impact players or contributors in 2021.

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It’s true, I am an unabashed Chiefs fan. I now am a fan of Andy Reid, but I wasn’t when he signed on initially. Most of all, I hugely support Brett Veach! #takeitback!!!

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What’s more, Brett Veach would tell you he could not do what he has done without Andy Reid and his staff, his scouts, the front office personnel. The whole shebang. However, the major player in all that is accomplished is our “Maverick GM.” He knows the box, he plays the game in the box, outside the box, where ever he determines is the right place to make the next move. There is at least one more addition to be made. Who — how — what position? It remains to be seen, but the ending hasn’t been written to this offseason… yet! “To Be Continued,” or… “Coming Soon.”

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David Bell — ArrowheadOne

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