KC Chiefs have endured a crazy carousel at left guard
By Matt Conner
Ben Grubbs
Things should have gone so much better here.
When John Dorsey flipped a future fifth round pick to the New Orleans Saints in return for Ben Grubbs, its was the perfect sort of move for a savvy veteran with something left in the tank from a team who needed to make a move for financial reasons. The Chiefs had a young growing line with Eric Fisher coming into his own at left tackle and Mitch Morse breaking in at center as the team’s second round rookie. Who better to put between such young impressive players than someone like Grubbs who could close out his career with an exciting young team mentoring a young line?
The Chiefs ended up eating it on this trade (as much as you can eat it after dealing a fifth rounder, I suppose) but that’s no fault of the team or player. Grubbs came to the team as a two-time Pro Bowler who simply cost too much for the Saints. Get this: prior to coming to the Chiefs, Grubbs had missed a total of six games in eight seasons. In fact, all of those missed games in the same season (2011), so there was no reason to believe Grubbs would be anything less than a completely reliable vet.
Unfortunately Grubbs’ tenure with the Chiefs would last a mere seven games. The Chiefs had long-term plans for him, having signed him to a new four-year deal after dealing for him, but a neck injury suffered at midseason never went away and the team ultimately released him with a failed physical designation. Grubbs would never play again.