Chiefs Film Room: Getting Schwartz was necessary

Well, that was an interesting Wednesday, wasn’t it? Let’s quickly recap of day 1 of free agency for the Chiefs:

• 3:00pm CT: Only Tamba Hali has been retained while Daniel, Allen, and Stephenson have already agreed to terms elsewhere. Chiefs fans everywhere start getting a little antsy at the prospect of losing DJ, Howard, and Smith.
• 3:45pm: Crazy money is getting thrown around, the Chiefs lose Tyvon Branch, and naysayers are convinced Dorsey is a Raiders spy sent to destroy the Chiefs from within.
• 4:15pm: BOOM! News of Mitchell Schwartz, the best RT on the market, finalizing a five year deal with the Chiefs comes out. Non-believers begrudgingly admit Dorsey may actually know what he’s doing.
• 6:30pm: Not done there, Dorsey proceeds to bring back captain DJ for another three years.
• 7:22pm: Jaye Howard puts pen to paper on a two year deal that even the most optimistic of us didn’t see coming.
• 7:23pm: John Dorsey is hailed as the messiah of the Kansas City Chiefs football organization.

For a day that many had been dreading as potential mass exodus of talent, particularly on defense, Dorsey worked wonders by keeping the majority of this core intact, while also shoring up perhaps the biggest weakness on offense. I hate getting caught up in winners/losers of the offseason, but Dorsey’s work Wednesday has got me feeling the hype.

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Now that I’ve finished singing Dorsey’s praise, let us turn our attention to the Chiefs newest addition: Mitchell Schwartz. If there’s one thing the Cleveland Browns know how to do – perhaps the only thing they know how to do – is draft and develop offensive lineman. Schwartz is absolutely no exception.

Schwartz had a stellar 2015 season and finished as PFF’s top rated right tackle in the league. While he can definitely hold his own in the run game, the Chiefs did not get him for his run blocking. No, where Schwartz is going to make a world of difference for the Chiefs is in pass protection – Alex Smith cried tears of joy when this signing came down, probably. And in a division where your right tackle will be going up against the likes of Khalil Mack, Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, and now Bruce Irvin (loving the lack of Chargers here), getting one of the best is a huge win.

As luck would have it, Schwartz went up against both Khalil Mack (Week 3) and Von Miller (Week 6) in 2015, as well tough divisional matchups against the Bengals (Week 9) and Steelers (Week 10). These four games make up the sample size for this free agent edition of the Chiefs Film Room.

If you happened to read my look at Eric Fisher a few weeks ago, you’ll remember I said he has to improve in dealing with speed rushers coming from the edge. This criticism doesn’t apply to Schwartz whatsoever. In fact, his combination of excellent footwork, great use of his hands, and quick first step make him quite the conundrum for opposing speed rushers.

This play is a microcosm of the entire Miller vs. Schwartz matchup in Week 6. No matter what Von tried, he just could not find a way to get to the quarterback – he even busted out a spin move to no avail. So how was he so effective at neutralizing one of the game’s premier edge threats? First, his initial step (kick step, if you will) off the line is incredibly quick and gives him very good depth at the outset. Getting out of his stance quickly and putting space between himself and the rusher allows him to control the game of angles.

Next, he demonstrates excellent patience when it comes to engaging the rusher. There is no lunge to ensure he gets his hands on the defender first, he simply waits until Miller is unquestionably in range, and then proceeds to engage.

Finally, as soon as he is engaged, his feet never stop moving or get out from underneath him. He stays square to the rusher, keeps a solid a base, and almost nonchalantly takes care of Miller. If there were a course on dealing with speed rushers, this GIF would be Exhibit A.

In case you were thinking his play against Miller was a fluke, he had a very good game against Mack as well. Everything that made Schwartz a success against Miller translated well when blocking Mack on this play. Simply put, in a pass rush heavy AFC West (actually the AFC has a whole has a plethora of top-tier pass rushers), the upgrade to Schwartz is a monumental one.

Another element that Schwartz brings to this line is his great awareness when pass blocking. He consistently picked up the correct assignment on twists and stunts in each of the four games I watched, something the Chiefs have consistently had problems with. But it was a play against the Broncos that really sold me on how smart this guy is:

Schwartz’s man on this play ends up attacking the guard inside rather than attempting to go around the edge. Schwartz isn’t thrown off by this move at all, he doesn’t over-commit to double team Miller which is key. The safety, TJ Ward, is actually coming on a delayed blitz on the outside. Von Miller’s move inside was supposed to setup for Ward to get a free shot at the QB. But Schwartz  didn’t bite one bit and easily manages to intercept Ward before he can lay a massive, most likely dirty, hit on the QB. It doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but plays like this absolutely pop off the screen when watching Schwartz’s tape.

Now, if I had to pinpoint one area where Schwartz may experience some struggles, it would be when dealing with stronger defenders and rushers who can execute a powerful bull rush. While his struggles against this type of player showed up in both the ground and passing game, they were by no means rampant or debilitating to the offense in the grand scheme of things.

The first GIF is a run in which Schwartz isn’t able to get enough leverage on Carlos Dunlap to drive him out of the play, which leads to Dunlap corralling the runner in the backfield. The second GIF is Khalil Mack unleashing a viscous bull rush straight into Schwartz, knocking him off balance and eventually to the ground. On occasions such as these where Schwartz was out-muscled, I did not see any glaring technique errors, leading me to believe it is an issue that could be remedied in the weight room.

After watching four games against pretty stiff competition, it is abundantly clear that the Mitchell Schwartz signing was a tremendous get for John Dorsey and the Chiefs. Turning a position that was a sieve for much of 2015 into one of strength, and for a fair price at that, is exactly how good teams utilize free agency. With the likes of Mack and Miller on the schedule four times a year for the foreseeable future, this was an opportunity Dorsey could not afford to pass up.