KC Chiefs could help Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line concerns

It wasn’t so long ago that the idea of the K.C. Chiefs helping out another team with their offensive line worries was a laughable one. Funny how times change. However, in the wake of news that the Pittsburgh Steelers have released starting guard David Decastro, it seems as if a match could be made if the sides were interested.

The Steelers surprised the NFL by cutting Decastro loose on Thursday, but it’s hard to know if the former Pro Bowler will play again given his ankle issues that have plagued him for some time. His absence leaves the Steelers even thinner up front where they’d already suffered significant losses this offseason.

The Steelers allowed veteran tackle Alejandro Villanueva to leave in free agency for the Baltimore Ravens in the same offseason they also lost versatile guard/tackle Matt Feiler to the L.A. Chargers and center Maurice Pouncey to retirement. That’s a lot of experience lost up front for a veteran team hoping for one last run with Ben Roethlisberger at the helm.

To their credit, the Steelers do have some reinforcements coming in. Zach Banner is back from a season-ending injury in 2020 out at right tackle. The team also drafted center Kendrick Green in the third round out of Illinois and followed suit in the draft with Dan Moore in the fourth, a tackle out of Texas A&M.

A trade between the Chiefs and Steelers could make sense for both sides.

However, the Steelers were already a team in need of some help before the loss of Decastro up front, because relying on any of these young players to step up is a risk at any position. If the team is relying on more than one to be ready by Week 1, that’s a recipe for disaster.

Fortunately, the Steelers have a couple months to figure things out. Some quality players are still available, and the Steelers have already brought in Trai Turner for a free agent visit. Turner is a former Pro Bowl performer, but he comes with injury flags himself, and even with a veteran signing like Turner, the Steelers still need more proven help.

Here’s where the Chiefs could really help them. The Chiefs are loaded across the offensive line with serious competition along the right side of the line. Orlando Brown, Jr. and Joe Thuney are entrenched on the right side, and Creed Humphrey is likely going to win the stating center spot. If Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Mike Remmers wins out on the right side, that still leaves a number of solid vets hoping to make the team.

It’s not hard to picture the Chiefs trying to figure out what to do with someone like Andrew Wylie or Remmers (if Lucas Niang wins the right tackle spot outright) before roster cuts are due. Kyle Long is going to return from injury before the season begins, most likely, which will only further complicate the picture up front. Nick Allegretti, Austin Blythe, Trey Smith, Wyatt Miller, Prince Tega Wanogho and Yasir Durant are more names that haven’t even been mentioned yet.

While no one quite knows how the competition along the line will shake out for the Chiefs, there are simply too many cooks in the kitchen to make everyone fit when rosters are due. Even with recent roster expansions thanks to the CBA, the Chiefs overloaded by taking two more players in the draft when the value was too great to pass them by.

It’s very likely that the Chiefs aren’t very interested in helping a team like the Steelers perform better than they are given that they’re both in AFC. However, what if the Chiefs could flip an asset like Andrew Wylie or someone else for a future draft asset, especially when next year’s draft class is supposed to be so deep?

No one should expect the Chiefs to strike it rich with some high-end draft pick in exchange for a backup offensive lineman. Instead, this is a chance to thin out the ranks a bit, which is what they were going to have to do in just a couple months, in exchange for some draft help next year. (Remember the Chiefs are down a fifth round pick from the Brown trade with the Ravens.)

Would the Steelers go for it? If so, what would they be willing to pay? And would the Chiefs be okay with helping Pittsburgh in a time of need? It will be interesting to see how both teams play it from their respective positions going forward. Moves will need to be made and perhaps there’s a trade to be worked out in the end.