Kansas City Chiefs offensive linemen are thankful for continuity

The Kansas City Chiefs offensive line is enjoying the fruits of continuity heading into the 2017 season.

Numerous other NFL teams have hogged the headlines this offseason, while the Kansas City Chiefs have largely stood still, at least in the free agent market. The Chiefs made a few moves to fill holes and strengthen the roster, but they’ve mostly been content to allow their current players to continue to grow together and rely on that continuity and developmental curve to provide the team with what it needs moving forward. That’s especially true for the offensive line, which as a unit returns all five starters and even it’s key back-ups from 2016.

It’s rare for any team to continue to start the same five players along the line year after year, but the Chiefs are set-up to do just that. Over the next two seasons, at least, every single player is locked up contractually across the entire offensive front—including Eric Fisher, Parker Ehinger, Mitch Morse, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Mitchell Schwartz. Duvernay-Tardif was the latest to receive an extension, a five-year deal signed earlier this offseason, and this unit can stay together even longer if general manager John Dorsey decides he wants to lock up Morse beyond 2018.

As Mitch Morse took the stand to answer reporter’s questions from organized team activities on Tuesday, it was clear that this continuity is appreciated by everyone along the line.

“We had real strong offensive line play last year, especially throughout the last half of the season. We had great continuity, guys stayed strong, they took care of their bodies and they took the extra time outside of the facility to ‘keep being on the field.’ That’s such a huge part of being an offensive lineman — the continuity,” said Morse from OTAs on Tuesday.

"“The only way we can do that is if we play together. We did a great job of keeping guys on the field, even with hitches here and there. The guys stayed on the field and they battled through minor injuries. That’s part of being an offensive lineman. We’re just looking to build on that and we’re looking forward to compete for the championship this year.”"

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Schwartz, who also answered several questions, helped explain why continuity is so important, especially for younger players who are still developing their craft and getting adjusted to the pace of the game at the NFL level.

“It’s cliché but things do actually slow down for you,” said Schwartz. “You don’t see as much. You see the things that matter. You’re not really freaking out about anything. The biggest thing, especially for young guys is confidence in what you’re doing, understanding the play, understanding the concept, the technique you’re supposed to use. Once that’s all second nature and muscle memory, you can focus on the defense and see what they’re doing: is the guy leaning, is the safety rotating down and things like that. That’s the biggest progression for the younger guys.”

Not only are the Chiefs locked up along the line, but Schwartz is right to point to their youth. Schwartz himself is only 27, while LDT and Fisher are both 26. Morse is 25 and Ehinger is the baby at 24. In other words, the Chiefs could play this same unit together for the next three full seasons and still only have one starter in his 30s.

Hopefully Ehinger is able to get better physically and step back into his starting role at left guard, but if not the Chiefs do have some other internal options that include Mike Person, Zach Fulton and Jah Reid.

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