Chiefs should trade for Ronald Leary
By Ben Almquist
It’s not often that the planets align and present you with a gift, but the Kansas City Chiefs may be looking at exactly that when it comes to one of the biggest question marks with the current roster.
It’s not a stretch to say that there is some justifiable concern when it comes to who will be lining up at guard for the Chiefs in 2016, especially at left guard. But the answer appears to have presented itself in the form of the Dallas Cowboys’ Ronald Leary.
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Coming out of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs look like they may have filled a majority of the perceived holes on the roster from the end of last season/start of this offseason. The Chiefs went heavy at both cornerback and wide receiver, bringing in a lot of competition. Enough so that fans shouldn’t be surprised when a couple of unexpected cuts happen at either position.
John Dorsey and his staff also did an excellent job of retaining talent with new contracts and extensions for some key players.
On top of that, the Chiefs made a pretty big statement on the offensive line by going after right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who many consider the best in the league at his position. That took what was possibly a major hole and turned it into (what should be) a strength.
The team also made a statement at offensive guard. Not just in the re-signing of Jah Reid, who will presumably be lining up at right guard, but also in the jettisoning of veterans Ben Grubbs and Paul Fanaika.
However, the statement made at guard is definitely nowhere near as faith-inspiring as the one made at tackle. Because while Jah Reid looked decent in his limited time at right guard last year, the same cannot be said for the two other returning players: Zach Fulton and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
Currently, Fulton and Tardif are getting the starting snaps in practices. That’s not unexpected as they are the returning veterans. When a position is unsettled, that is often who gets the first crack at it. Andy Reid has already confirmed as much in his OTA presser. Some fans believe this is just the way things work in the NFL…well, it is…when you don’t have a someone that has made themselves the clear cut starting option.
When the Chiefs resume offseason work, expect to see the guards being the players moved around the most. Fisher and Schwartz should be set as the tackles, though the Chiefs may swap sides for them just to confirm who should be where. And for the most part, Mitch Morse should be lined up at center, though he may also become an option at guard. Yup, just like that the conversation comes right back around to the guard spot.
Next: What's at guard now?