Kansas City Chiefs: Breaking down the starting left guard competition
By Matt Conner
PARKER EHINGER
At one point, the Chiefs tried to actually put some resources toward this position.
In 2016, the Chiefs selected Parker Ehinger in the fourth round. It was a year after taking Morse and the same offseason they signed Schwartz. The idea was simple: to lock up the final position on the line with a young, promising talent who would be cost-controlled while paying other parts of the line more money (read: expensive tackles).
Ehinger worked out as planned during the first part of his rookie season. Zach Fulton was forced to take a seat after starting immediately as a sixth round choice. Jah Reid was relegated to versatile back-up. Then came the ACL tear, one that tore apart any certainty at the position and pushed it back to a wide-open competition once again.
Poor Ehinger not only lost the rest of his rookie year after starting off so well, but he also lost his starting spot even after he came back. Despite declarations that he was healthy, Ehinger was himself relegated to a back-up role as Bryan Witzmann took over for almost the entire 2017 season. Even as Witzmann began to show what he can do, which included a limited ceiling, and Ehinger worked himself into game shape after coming off of injured reserve, things remained the same.
The Pros for 2018
The ceiling is higher than anyone else, and he looked the part early in his rookie season. Now that he’s another year removed from the initial injury, it stands to reason that he should be ready to slip back into the role he lost with an added chip on his shoulder. There’s also some future security to play for, which should motivate Ehinger all the more.
The Cons for 2018
Ehinger had a single start last season. It came in Week 17. It was at right guard. All of that added up means that Chiefs coaches refused to put Ehinger back in what fans’ would project to be his rightful place. That means that internal plans, hopes or beliefs have changed about Ehinger, while opinions outside the organization remain rooted in the past.