Laddie Morse
I may be a year too late, maybe two, but in any event, the Kansas City Chiefs have finally used enough resources to say they have an Ol Juggernaut. I say a year or two… because that’s what I expected when Orlando Brown Jr. came to town and the Chiefs had also drafted Lucas Niang. For those who don’t recall what a Juggernaut is, it means: “a massive inexorable — impossible to stop — force, campaign, movement, or object that crushes whatever is in its path” and yet there are many Chiefs Kingdom fans who doubt what the Chiefs have done with the OL so far this offseason. So, let’s review.
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Eight (8) years ago, when I was writing for ArrowheadAddict.com, I wrote a piece called: “Chiefs OL: Building The Juggernaut” in which I commented:
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“Look at the once proud tradition of the 2003 Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Line:”
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I’ve often thought that line was the best offensive line in NFL history and it’s hard to debate that idea. However, let’s wait and see how this year’s OL compares, because I may have to adjust my thinking in February of 2024.
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Whether you are planning on protecting the best QB to ever play the game, or an also-ran, like we’ve seen for over three decades here in K.C., the QB and he RBs need their men up front to win in the trenches. With the line that Andy Reid and Brett Veach have put together, the weakest link in this line may be the holes provided for the RBs. Let’s take a look at the O-Line as it’s comprised:
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There are other linemen — UDFAs — on the roster right now including:
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OG, Jerome Carvin – 6-5, 321 lbs. – Tennessee – 2023 UDFA
OG, Mike Caliendo – 6-4, 301 lbs. – Western Michigan – 2022 UDFA
OT, Sebastian Gutierrez – 6-6, 295 lbs. – Minot State – 2022 UDFA (DEN)
OT, Anderson Hardy – 6-6, 290 lbs. – Appalachian State – 2023 UDFA
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One of these last four OL would have to not only have a breakout camp, but see one of the Chiefs other depth OL above-above, to either get hurt — knock on wood — or fail miserably. Only Jerome Carvin appears to have the size and ability to make such a jump. Plus, Carvin knows both Wanya Morris and Trey Smith, from their time together at Tennessee, and they have a connection that can only help him in the long run.
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You’ll notice there are eleven (11) men on the depth chart provided above-above (from ESPN’s material), but I don’t see more than ten (10) OL making the final 53 man roster in September. Consequently, I believe one of these OL will be placed on the Chiefs IR list and they will likely stay there all year as the result of the Chiefs wanting to keep that player. So, a hamstring injury is the likely designation. The other’s will go to the practice squad or be cut.
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LT, Donovan Smith
The main thrust of the issues Chiefs fans seem to have with Donovan Smith is his performance in the 2022 season. I can’t blame them. He wasn’t very good. However… and this is a huge “however”… he was inured much of the year and could not perform up to his own standards:
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“Todd Bowles [the Bucs HC) says Donovan Smith suffered a hyperextended elbow and it will be a pain tolerance issue. He’s very sore today.”
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Donovan Smith was injured in the first half of their first game against he Dallas Cowboys so dismissing him as a not good OT is not being totally fair to him. Donovan suffered a foot injury later in the season so it’s obvious that if you’re judging his whole career based on last season, you’re way off base.
Smith is 6-foot-6, 338 lbs. and was a second round pick out of Penn State — #34 overall — in the 2015 NFL draft. In the 2021 season, Donovan was part of an OL that ranked the second best in the league. Anytime a player is locked in on “learning” you can bet he’s a good player. Here’s Donovan Smith talking about the learning process just a year ago:
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“I’m still young, I’m still learning. That’s, I feel like, the biggest thing, because as you keep learning the better you can get through the years. Once you feel like you’ve stopped learning or know it all, that’s when you become complacent and you’re just chilling and whatnot. I’m young, I’m still learning a lot. I just love it. I go out there and have fun with my guys, enjoy winning.”
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Fans who have a problem with Donovan Smith don’t realize the Chiefs — and Brett Veach — are always looking for solutions to problems they don’t even have. Like… what happens if Donovan Smith doesn’t work out? When you have drafted Wanya Morris and have the ultra-athletic Prince Tega-Wanogho as the main backups, the result of a Super Bowl without your LT starter available, won’t be a problem.
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LG, Joe Thuney
Joe Thuney is one of the most reliable offensive linemen in the game today. When Orlando Brown Jr. couldn’t go a year ago, Thuney stepped in and filled the void for one game at LT. So, Thuney is also flexible. Some may be asking, “why not just put Thuney over there permanently?” The answer is… because Thuney is one of hte best OGs to ever pull on a jersey. He’s a technician.
I didn’t have this kind of foresight, but when the Free Agency period started up two years ago, David Bell said to me in a phone conversation, “I wish Veach would sign Joe Thuney.” And guess what happened within a day or two of David speaking those words? That’s right, Joe Thuney became a Kansas City Chief. While I have stated recently that I think Thuney is out second best OL. That leads us to talk about…
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OC, Creed Humphrey
Prior to the draft two years ago, I convinced David Bell that the Chiefs would not draft Creed Humphrey because they would never put more on PM’s plate than he already had there. Meaning, Reid would not draft Humphrey because he was left handed and the spin of the ball would be more than Patrick Mahomes could deal with. Boy or boy, was I wrong. Creed Humphrey became one of the best offensive centers in the NFL overnight. Travis’ brother, Jason Kelce, has been thought to be the best OC in the league, but Creed Humphrey has passed him by. Creed is not only the best OCs in the NFL, but he’s the Chiefs best offensive lineman. Period. Last summer USAToday ranked Humphrey as the third best Center behind Corey Linsley and Jason Kelce, but after this past season, Creed has etched out his own legacy. This is from Matt Connor at ArrowheadAddict:
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“In his second season, Humphrey has taken his play to even greater heights, which is why drafting someone with such a ceiling was so important. While the Chiefs signed Joe Thuney as a big-ticket free agent to be the anchor up front, Humphrey’s development actually shifts that toward the center, giving the Chiefs’ offense an unparalleled interior when adding Trey Smith to the mix.”
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RG, Trey Smith
Trey Smith has been one great big pleasant surprise. Pick #226 of the 2021 NFL draft has turned out to be one of the league’s biggest diamonds in the rough. Ever. He has become known for his pancake blocks like…
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I won’t be surprised at all if this is Trey Smith’s best season.
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RT, Jawaan Taylor
Earlier I was saying Kingdom fans should understand that Reid and Veach are always working on solving problems before they arrive… and Jawaan Taylor may be that solution… for the Left Side of the line. I won’t be shocked at all if the line ends up with Jawaan Taylor starting as the Left Tackle, and someone else… like Lucas Niang… is the starter on the right side. I’m convicned that Jawaan Taylor is so good that he could flip from the right side to the left side in an instant.
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Taylor’s skill level is that amazing. He not only has great feet that pump a thousand miles per hour, but Stephen White wrote an article for SBNation called: “The Jaguars’ Jawaan Taylor is the grizzly bear of the 2019 NFL Draft. He will maul fools” in which he said of Jawaan Taylor:
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“Taylor can handle any defender who tries to take him on. I don’t have any questions about whether Taylor is strong enough to be dominant in the NFL. If you watch a few plays of his tape you wouldn’t have any, either.
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Wow… “Taylor can handle any defender who tries to take him on” … that’s a powerful statement. What many Kingdom Fans may need to wake up to is… that Donovan Smith is a one year solution, while Jawaan Taylor is a four year solution. That also does not mean JT will be entrenched on the right side for the next four seasons. He’s not stuck. Hecky darn, he may not even be positioned there this year. We’ll have to get to camp and watch them work that out. My expectation is that Donovan Smith will have his best season ever… while JT continues to preform at a high, high level.
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One way or the other, the Chiefs are going to have an excellent offensive line in 2023. A Juggernaut. What’s your take?
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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