Chiefs low road to the show: getting there is the story – long ago, after I was knocked completely out of football, I and some buddies drove to St. Joe and crossed the river to drink beer in Wathena Kansas. I can’t recall why this was the case but there was something going on in the area and it was to that event we were drawn but Wathena was famous to college kids in other states as well. There were 4 of us and a friend from New York State drove his 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 and we all had a good time. We had an emergency stop in Liberty — another long personal story of my life for another time — the short story for the emergency was, Slip’s brakes went out and we had a heck of a time stopping the car short of the vehicle stopped in front of us. What this entailed was everybody opening a door and dragging shoes on the pavement. We almost got it done but the Galaxie 500 tapped the bumper of the car in front of us.
So now, you have to listen in to the “Slip Mahoney” apology that took place in order to find out why he was nicknamed “Slip.” He indeed talked like Leo Gorcey of “the Bowery Boys” fame.
On to Football eh? Anyway on to St. Joe with different young men taking different roads to get there for starting or crucial Roles for the offensive line. That “back road” was taken about 51 years ago.
Lineup: Cam Erving, Austin Reiter, Andrew Wylie
By low road, I mean players acquired from small trades and low cost acquisitions. So first let’s look at the other 3 starters and how moving Erving to a different role is going to make this offensive line extremely versatile and, if I may, perhaps closing in on “awesome”… well, maybe I should say an offensive line that measures itself among the top 10 ranked offensive lines.
We’ve had the bookend Tackles and they are both signed through 2021, that being Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (LDT) is now a total fixture and a strong candidate for recognition at Right Offensive Guard.
LOT Eric Fisher
Eric Fisher is very experienced and plays well above the journeyman level of play and earned his first Pro Bowl spot from 2018’s season. No, he hasn’t achieved play that one would forecast for a #1 draft pick. John Dorsey took Fisher as the Chiefs first round pick in the 2013 draft, the very first pick and not Luke Joeckel. Both were thought to be totally safe picks and both struggled, Joeckel by far to the negative side of the ledger. The Chiefs got the better end of the deal and Fisher earned a Pro Bowl Invite which adds to his bonafides. Fisher comes at pretty high cost but is difficult to replace. His cap number for 2019 is: $13.6M but the news gets better in 2020 with a decline in cost to $12M and declines again in 2021 After 2021 Fisher is a Free Agent and that would be his tenth season in the NFL. Hard to believe.
ROT Mitchell Schwartz
Mitch Schwartz turned out to be a huge blessing. He is clearly under-rated and one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL and is way overlooked. In 2020 his cost is $8M in cap space and the Chiefs have extended him through 2021 and the new numbers are not yet reflected to Over-the-Cap.
ROG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
To complete the experienced player outlook, LDT is moving up in cost at $8.2M in 2019 and $9M in 2020. In 2021, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif’s cap number is $9.25M. I myself can’t rave enough about LDT as he and Schwartz provide a great pair to protect for Patrick Mahomes from the right side.
Where things change this year? The Swing Tackle… no, the Swing Guard… no…
Swing Player, 6th Man, for the OL
It appears that Cameron Erving, the former starter at LOG, is going to move to Swing-Man or 6th Man to borrow a term from the NBA. I am not using the title lightly because Erving can play all five positions along the offensive front. He can spot in at any position and substitute as a starter. He could take over as a starter for multiple games or even replace a man who is lost to the season due to injury… and do so effectively.
If you look at Erving and the low cost of his acquisition, the Chiefs effectively traded a low draft pick to obtain a first round number one pick and Erving is a starter quality player, even if he is not performing at first round monies level of play. Still, he is a player beyond a journeyman and above average play. He gives the Chiefs a swing player at low cost, $3.1M, under contract through 2020, $4.6M.
When I think of Erving this way, the money to retain him is well worth it!
Low Road Merges with…
Chiefs Starter Road:
LOT Andrew Wylie
Andrew Wylie is under contract at a minimum level of $570k. Next year it is again the Veteran Minimum of $650K. It makes sense that Veach will extend him as play gets under way and lock him in for an economical cost. Austin Reiter is in a similar vein, a very cost effective starter at $1.47M and $2.7M in 2020. Reiter came from the Browns after losing out a year after he was the starting center for Cleveland. An ACL tear knocked him out of a job which is how Brett Veach got him signed to a low cost deal having previously traded for Cam Erving, also a Brown, and a former first round pick who fizzled and also a very cost effective acquisition by Veach.
Center Austin Reiter
How Austin Reiter was obtained for the starting Offensive Center role is itself an interesting part of the story. Mitch Morse suffered a concussion and was out for 5 1/2 weeks. During the game in which Morse was injured, Jordan Devey took over and then he too was knocked out of the game for the rest of the season. At that point, Reiter stepped in and stepped up, taking over the starting role. It’s true that Cam Erving could start at LOG. He could start at OC. He could start at OT. They way appear to be clear to see the starting front five as being Fisher, Wylie, Reiter, LDT and Schwartz. The 6th man, if you will, is Cam Erving and that leaves two positions to fill on the offensive line.
Some Important Numbers
13th Ranked according to PFF
In 2018, the Chiefs ended up ranked 13th among all NFL teams for the offensive line ratings according to PFF. That’s a pretty good outcome considering the injuries that occurred throughout the season, but especially considering that the starting ROG was knocked out of the season and the starting Center was knocked out(almost literally) for 6 games effectively, the backup center, Jordan Devey, was also lost to the season in the same game as Mitch Morse.
The Chiefs did have a very effective OT duo in Fisher and Schwartz. PFF had Schwartz as All-Pro Right Tackle to go along with Fisher’s Pro Bowl nod.
The severe cost of injuries cost this unit dearly. Seven players took starter jobs during the season and had 100+ snaps so when you consider the loss of players to injury and having “unknowns” stepping in to starting roles, that the Chiefs offensive line ranked 13th toes a long way to understanding why the above view of the 2019 roles is going to be the case.
With Erving as 6th man, the 7th should be Kahlil McKenzie and that leaves one position to be filled if the Chiefs carry 8 offensive linemen on the 53-man roster. I don’t think that the continuity that exists along the Chiefs front line will be hurt despite the departures of Morse and Devey. I think Mitchell Schwartz is the best ROT in the game even if he has not been given credit it for it. I also think that having Fisher opposite him is goodness. LDT has emerged as a top ROG so, I don’t worry about the right side of the offensive line at all. Austin Reiter and Andrew Wylie are the newcomers and must prove themselves in 2019. I do not feel either will let us down. That gives us Cam Erving and he is solid as an NFL starter and his versatility is crucially important.
Will these players live up to the billing? That can only be answered by a full season of play for these young newcomers. I am buoyed by a growing sense of confidence that this will be the case, in which case, the ability of the players to block in space and move to the second level of blocking should make the group a powerful force to contend with while learning on each other’s nuances for pass blocking as the group grows in camp and the preseason games.
#1 Top Ranked Offense: Football Outsiders
Overall offense and DVOA demonstrate that the Chiefs were far more than efficient and that could not have occurred without an offensive line performing efficiently.
26 Sacks Given Up
It’s true! Patrick Mahomes made players around him better but the players around him helped him set his records. Mahomes was a breakout player in 2018. He was kept clean. The offensive line gave up only 26 sacks. Only 4 other teams had fewer sacks than the Kansas City Chiefs. Don’t underestimate the impact this line has on Mahomes ability to do his magic.
When you consider the protection and the use of 7 different starters goes a long way to indicating what the offensive line accomplished in 2018.
5th: Adjusted Sack Rate
The sack rate for the offensive line was fifth best as an adjusted sack rate according to Football Outsiders and also as a ranking with mere sack numbers.
16th Football Outsider Ranking
KC had a 16th ranking at Football Outsiders is very good considering the offensive line was affected by significant changes and newcomers moving to starting roles. Considering the experience of the players of this focal point piece, (Erving as 6th man, Reiter and Wylie), I see no reason to think the group will take a step backwards.
The Chiefs Ones Move Up to a Top 10 OL
Andy Reid makes his mind up early on starters for the offensive line. After first 2 or 3 practices if the same five are on the field as “ones” then that is your starter group.
Coming Up:
- Chiefs High Road: It’s a Projection but, Mecole Hardman Gets Starting Reps ASAP
- Chiefs Other Roads to the Fore: Armani Watts- Chiefs have capable starters for Safety
- Chiefs Rookie Back Road Comes to Fruition: Kahlen Saunders and the One Tech
David Bell – ArrowheadOne
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