Evan Almighty: A savior for the Chiefs?

I know already–he’s not coming to Kansas City. Two months ago, head coach Andy Reid said as much. If that isn’t convincing, there’s also Mathis’ recent Twitter response to Benjamin Allbright of 1340 AM in Denver (who reported the Chiefs had serious interest in the 11-year veteran) and his recent activity on Reddit. I’m not sure what to think anymore. On the one hand, it appears highly unlikely that Mathis lands at One Arrowhead Drive. On the other, it seems counter-intuitive for a free agent to publicly deny reports of any team pursuing them (no matter how inaccurate they may be). The more teams interested, the more negotiating power Mathis and his agent Drew Rosenhaus have.

Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Soon, this will all be over. On Monday, Rosenhaus told Fox Sports his client will make a decision on a team this week. No more speculation. No more scouring Twitter for updates. Mathis will have chosen his new team and the Chiefs will know if he figures into their future (however briefly). My argument today is simple: he should. At the present, I’d argue that right guard is the most unsettled spot along the line. There are questions at right tackle as well, but I’m confident that will ultimately be resolved when Reid relents and names Donald Stephenson the starter (he received the highest Pro Football Focus grade of any first team offensive lineman over the weekend).

Who’ll start just left of Stephenson is anyone’s guess. Jeff Allen’s on the road to recovery, Zach Fulton’s been unable to lock down the position, and Paul Fanaika spent most of training camp running with the third team. Mathis still ranks highly among the league’s best offensive linemen. According to PFF, Mathis was one of the ten best players in the NFL at his position last year. He’d immediately become the Chiefs’ best offensive lineman and the leadership of Mathis and Grubbs would be invaluable to an otherwise young and inexperienced group.

Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Let me be clear: Evan Mathis won’t save the Chiefs. He’s ultimately just one football player, but I do think he’d have an extraordinary impact on the offensive line unit both now and long after he’s been put out to pasture. The team’s investments into Alex Smith and Jeremy Maclin will have been wasted without time to throw. I’ll take that one step further and say that as the offensive line goes, so goes the regime.

Someone will ultimately have to fall on the Alex Smith sword if they can’t create a line capable of protecting him. He’s a good NFL quarterback, but he doesn’t have the right skillset to consistently succeed in the face of heavy pressure. The front office has assembled an elite defense. It’d be a shame to squander it with a punchless, predictable offense.

Are you on board with the Kansas City Chiefs signing Evan Mathis? Is the current offensive line talent sufficient for keeping Smith clean and healthy for the duration of the regular season? Who are your five offensive line starters today? Use the comment section below to weigh in. As always, we appreciate your readership and support.

Until next time, Addicts!