Mitchell Schwartz says offensive line continuity is “great thing” for Kansas City Chiefs
By Matt Conner
Mitchell Schwartz says the continuity along the offensive line for the Chiefs is going to be “a great thing.”
Earlier this offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs locked up Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to the tune of $42 million over five years. The surprise extension was the final piece along the current starters on the offensive line that needed security. Now, with LDT firmly entrenched in K.C. for the next half-decade, the Chiefs offensive line will enjoy continuity for the entire 2017 and 2018 seasons and perhaps beyond, if the Chiefs decide to reward center Mitch Morse.
It’s taken some time for the Chiefs to get here. The offensive line has leaked a lot of talent in free agency over the last few years, as general manager John Dorsey has worked hard to bring in the right guys for Andy Reid’s system. It meant saying goodbye even to talented players like Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson and versatile lineman Jeff Allen. Now, however, Dorsey has the line he likes, and he’s making sure to keep them together as long as he can.
"“I think it’s great,” says Mitchell Schwartz, the team’s starting right tackle. “Continuity on the o-line is awesome. You go to Denver, you go to wherever and you can’t hear the guy next to you. and you have to have some trust in the guy next to you that he’ll be able to really know what to do, do his job and be able to do it without talking and without communicating and that’s something that you play together a while.”"
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The Chiefs already enjoy a rare bit of continuity when it comes to the coaching scheme. The longer Andy Reid remains in place as the team’s head coach, the more of an advantage the Chiefs will have as more and more teams around the NFL continue to churn through coaching changes of their own. Reid has also done a nice job keeping his current staff in place, such as Dave Toub who remains the team’s special teams ace despite having several head coaching interviews over the last two years.
With Eric Fisher at left tackle and Schwartz at right with Parker Ehinger, Morse and Duvernay-Tardif along the interior, the Chiefs now have a young, athletic and burgeoning starting five who will not only grow together but will continue to reach their individual ceilings. It might feature some growing pains, but the experience should reap considerable dividends down the road. Schwartz says it best.
"“I’d say that everybody down the line, all five guys are pretty comfortable with each other, and continuity, especially at this position, is a great thing.”"