Do The Kansas City Chiefs Have A Problem At Guard?

When looking at the Chiefs candidates for the starting guard spots the good news is that the Chiefs shouldn’t be awful at the position. Fulton, LDT, and Jah Reid offer enough experience that even without Ehinger contributing those three can at least provide KC with mediocre play at the position. The question is if mediocre guard play is good enough if KC wants to be a Super Bowl contender? The Chiefs need to have a reliable run game and Alex Smith has shown that he gets jumpy if the pocket in front of him isn’t stable. The Chiefs need a good offensive line in order for the offense as a whole to be good enough to get this team to the promised land. The tackles and center position are set, they just need a couple of guys to solidify the guard position.

I understand why Zach Fulton and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif were the first men up to run with the starting offensive line in OTAs. They both have starting experience and it would allow Reid to stay at tackle and take the pressure of having to play right away off the rookie they drafted. However, I don’t think that represents the best potential for the Chiefs. I feel like Fulton has a limited upside and is an ideal backup at both the guard and center positions. In a perfect world, LDT would take a step forward in technique and put his physical upside to good use and Parker Ehinger would look like the next Mitch Morse (only at guard). Not only do those two likely have the best upside of the group, but it would allow Fulton to come off the bench on the interior and Reid to man the swing tackle position. That would give KC the best all around offensive line unit.

I’m just not sure that Ehinger is going to be up to the task (at least as a rookie). If that’s the case I really believe Jah Reid may be one of KC’s two best options at guard but will KC give him a shot there?

The Chiefs may be relying on offensive line coach Andy Heck (pictured above) more than any one of these players when it comes to finding a pair of good starting guards for 2016. He is either going to have to continue to develop players that were on the roster last year or get a rookie ready to start for a third straight season. The Chiefs need consistent play across all positions on the offensive side of the ball with little to no liabilities in order to be effective enough to compete for a Super Bowl. The guard spot may be the one place where this could be an issue.

So what do you think Addicts? Are you worried about the guard position in 2016? Do you think they have enough viable options on the roster? Do you think they need to add someone before the season starts? If you had to guess who the starters will be on opening day who would you pick? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!