If what we saw in terms of protecting Patrick Mahomes from the Bucs is the future, it’s hard to see how they’ll be heading to another Super Bowl anytime soon.
KANSAS CITY – The General Manager Brett Veach showed enough creativity to make the Kansas City Chiefs return to Super BowlHe took on a challenging salary limit situation that, at one point, the Chiefs with $ 177 in room to maneuver, and still found a way to re-hire the quarterback Patrick Mahomes, take a defensive approach Chris Jones and tight end Travis Kelce
Veach You have to show every ounce of that creativity, and more, to create an offensive line that protects Mahomes this year. The Chiefs released veteran offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz in a move that the Chiefs over $ 18 million at the limit, but it leaves them short in two key positions.
The Chiefs could have five new starters on the line of attack by 2021, regarding last season’s opening. Fisherman Y Schwartz They are outside Kelechi Osemele Y Austin driver are free agents with no possible restrictions, and Andrew Wylie he is a limited free agent.
The Chiefs would get reinforcements if Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Y Lucas Niang return after choosing not to play last season due to the corona virus. That, at best, would only partially resolve the Chiefs’ approach. Niang could become one of the starting tackles for next season, but Duvernay-Tardif is a guard.
The Chiefs have the relocations planned with Fisherman Y Schwartz for some time, and they waited until Wednesday for the news that the 2021 salary cap would be $ 182.5 million before acting. The limit dropped by more than $ 15 million per team from last year and left Chiefs with few options other than a few drastic moves.
Injuries Fisherman Y Schwartz They have made their low moves logical. Fisherman, 30, underwent surgery in late January after rupturing his Achilles tendon AFC championship game, a victory over the Buffalo Bills SchwartzThe 31-year-old missed most of last season with a back injury and recently underwent surgery as well.
The Chiefs at this point, they have no assurance that either of these two players will be healthy for the next season. Even if so, will they return to players of the same caliber before the injuries?
Releasing them was the easy part. The Chiefs They eliminated a significant portion of their salary cap issues with these moves, and they did so with players with an uncertain future.
Replacing them with players of similar caliber makes it difficult. The Chiefs they still have to shave a few million dollars to meet the competition’s maximum allowance. For that, you need to increase the money needed to offer contracts to restricted free agents such as Wylie Byron Pringle Charvarius Ward Y Darrel Williams, and sign his final eight design choices, and it’s hard to believe how many victims Fisherman Y Schwartz with a signal pointing to a high free agent offensive tackle, such as Trent Williams
It is more likely that Veach need to find a way to build an offensive line without the inflated salary structure of the ChiefsMaybe that means spending some of those eight draft picks on linemen. Maybe it means signing up for a little free agent, or two. Maybe it means hiring again Fisherman at a lower cost, when you prove you’re ready to play.
Whatever I do Veach, the Chiefs they have a lot at stake. They got a glimpse of how the skill abilities were neutralized. Mahomes behind a shaky line of attack in the Super Bowl LV, which they were beaten by Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If that’s the future of the Chiefs when it comes to protection Mahomes, it is hard to see how they will benefit from their investment of over $ 500 million in the quarterback, or how they will achieve another Super Bowl asked.
Veach You have to have it here, and it can take money and a lot of imagination to do it.