Kansas City Chiefs fans all over are rejoicing at the fact that football is back. Okay, there may not be games just yet, but at least we are getting information from training camp that is based on things that are actually happening on the field. I have been screaming from the rooftops all offseason that the most important improvement the Chiefs need for 2015 is on the offensive line. When I make my way up to St. Joe this Friday and Saturday to watch practice I plan on spending most of my time watching the linemen and the most wide open roster spot on the entire team may be the right guard position. While early camp reports have veteran Jeff Allen running with the starters, I’m here to tell you that Allen isn’t the player Chiefs fans should be hoping wins the job. That player is Mitch Morse.
I understand why Allen is getting the first shot at the position. He is a veteran with starting experience who is entering his third training camp under Andy Reid and his coaching staff. Allen seems like a good guy and if he steps up and plays well enough to earn the job then kudos to him. The problem I have is that many KC fans seem content to hand the job to Allen as if his track record is worthy of it. I mentioned in the comments section of another post recently that the abomination that was the play of Mike McGlynn last season seems to have warped people’s memories of Allen. Jeff Allen has started for two seasons in KC. In both of those seasons he was one of the weakest players on the line.
While I understand that Pro Football Focus grades may not be the end all/be all when it comes to how good of a player someone is, I do believe it is one of the best indicators we have when it comes to grading out what we see happening on the field. Below I have included the PFF grades for both of Jeff Allen’s seasons as a starter as well as last season’s grades for Zach Fulton and Paul Fanaika.
What that chart shows is that none of the Chiefs options at right guard have experience playing at even an average level in the NFL. In Allen’s first year starting he was literally one of the worst graded guards in the NFL. In his second season he ranked as barely being starting caliber if you think of there being 64 starting guards in the NFL and he ranked 60th. Allen is only 25 years old so it is certainly possible that he could still improve and become a good NFL starter, but the perception that if he just performs as he did before his injury last season it will be a big improvement for KC is false. Yes, it would be an improvement over how McGlynn played but if you look at Allen’s grades in 2013 compared to how Zach Fulton played at right guard for KC last season that wouldn’t qualify as an improvement in my book. I also included Fanaika’s grades just to show that he was worse than Fulton last season and I don’t really consider him as a serious option to start.
Next: What's the story on Fulton and Allen?