The Kansas City Chiefs don't have many red blinking lights on their roster, but one spot they do is along the offensive line.
The left tackle position is the biggest need as guard, Joe Thuney, who filled in there last season due to the poor play of Wanya Morris and Kingsley Suamataia, is now with the Chicago Bears.
So now, left tackle and guard are two positions that the Chiefs have to fix this offseason, and whether that is via free agency with someone like Ronnie Stanley or the draft with Josh Conerly Jr., there are options.
For NFL.com, the left side of the line needs reinforcing, but right tackle is also a position they feel the Chiefs need to upgrade.
"Kansas City could stand to upgrade both offensive tackle spots coming off a Super Bowl defeat," NFL.com writes. "Four Chiefs logged 75-plus snaps at left tackle in 2024, largely due to performance struggles, with starting LG Joe Thuney (whom they just shipped to Chicago) sliding outside after Week 14 with mixed results.
"Chiefs LTs allowed the fifth-highest pressure rate (12.4%) in the regular season. Meanwhile, Jawaan Taylor allowed a pressure rate of 8.3% on the right side, which did not justify the major contract signed in the 2023 offseason. However, Kansas City's decision to tag Trey Smith solidifies the interior as one of the league's best groups."
So, that is now three of the five offensive line positions that the Chiefs could look at.
In truth, Taylor's contract will prevent him from going anywhere ($19.5 million base salary per Spotrac.com), which leaves the left side as an area to fix.
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The Chiefs, after the Super Bowl loss, gave every other team the blueprint to stop them in their tracks, and you better believe teams are loading up on pass rushers.
Hence why getting far better at left tackle is the No. 1 job for general manager Brett Veach this offseason.
Mahomes is a unicorn, but he can't be that on the field if he's consistently being driven into the turf.
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This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 3:30 PM.