KC Chiefs offensive line ranks No. 7 in NFL per PFF

What a difference a single offseason can make. This spring, the K.C. Chiefs set about to rebuild their offensive line after watching it slowly fall apart during the regular season and postseason with numerous injuries and opt outs due to COVID-19. What should have been an experienced front anchored at the bookends with plenty of depth and youth turned into a perilously thin line with reserves at nearly every position playing the biggest game of the NFL season—a frustrating loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.

As soon as the Super Bowl was over, the Chiefs front office went to work with the release of longtime tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher. The former dealt with back pain for most of the season and was out after Week 6 for the duration. The latter had suffered an Achilles injury in the AFC Championship and would be facing a longer rehab at the age of 30. It was a frustrating situation for all parties involved.

From there, the Chiefs have gone to work by acquiring talent in every possible way—via the draft, free agency, trades, and even poaching someone out of retirement. The end result is a brand new offensive front, a line loaded with dependable players, promising prospects, and loads of depth. And the renovation is receiving plenty of acclaim from around the NFL.

The Chiefs offensive line has been ranked as one of the NFL’s best.

The folks over at Pro Football Focus have released their offensive line rankings before the 2021 season and the Chiefs are ranked No. 7 overall.

"After completely re-shaping their offensive line, the Chiefs now field one of the best combinations of high-upside starters and depth in the NFL.”"

The Chiefs come in just after the Dallas Cowboy at No. 6 and before the L.A. Rams at No. 8—both teams with stout offensive lines who typically win the battles necessary to move the chains quite well on offense. If the Chiefs are able to mimic the performances of those lines, Patrick Mahomes should be able to work his magic like never before.

Whether or not this ranking will mirror real life is only something time can tell, but fans and the front office have to feel good about the amount of depth that the Chiefs are working with. The remade left side features a proven star in Joe Thuney who can anchor things between two young players making significant adjustments in scheme with star potential—left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and center Creed Humphrey. The ceiling there is higher than it’s been in years for the Chiefs.

As for the right side, there are less proven options but the competition should sort things out. Lucas Niang and Mike Remmers will battle on the right side at tackle to replace Schwartz. Kyle Long and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif are the likely candidates at right guard, although Trey Smith is waiting in the wings as the team’s sixth round pick. This also doesn’t touch on the fact that Martinas Rankin, Yasir Durant, Nick Allegretti, and Andrew Wylie are also on the roster and hoping to prove they’re worth of reps.

In short, the Chiefs are deep and talented at every position across a line that was a headache only a year ago. Will they finish the season as one of the NFL’s best? The potential is there and they’re already making believers out of many of us.