Under-the-radar free agents who make sense for KC Chiefs offense
By Matt Conner
Jason Spriggs, OL
Six months after the Kansas City Chiefs’ game plan (and season) fell apart on the NFL’s biggest stage due to offensive line complains, it actually sounds weird to offer up the idea of adding another piece to the offensive front. That’s a great sign of just how far the Chiefs have come in Brett Veach’s plan to rebuild the entire protective unit in front of Patrick Mahomes.
However, injuries happen and they’ve already affected the Chiefs’ ability to get a complete picture of their remade line early in training camp as Kyle Long came out of retirement in March only to go down with a fairly serious injury in May.
It’s quite possible that Long returns in time for the start of the regular season and gives the Chiefs a full stable across the offensive line, one that would feature depth and versatility aplenty. However, if injuries begin to nag someone else (as they’re likely to do so), then the idea of bringing aboard Jason Spriggs could be a good one for further insurance.
Spriggs was a second round choice for the Green Bay Packers out of Indiana as recently as the 2016 NFL Draft. With experience outside at tackle, he’s always been considered just a tad undersized to potentially lock down a starting tackle spot. That said, he played in all 16 games for the Packers during his rookie year and even slid inside to start two games at right guard.
From there, injuries began to take their toll and the Packers eventually lost patience for the duration of his rookie deal. His sophomore season started with a hamstring injury and ended with an IR spot for a knee injury, but he’d worked his way into a starting role at right tackle before the latter injury. Minor injuries (ankle, concussion) kept him out of three games in 2018, but then a serious trapezius injury put him back on injured reserve in 2019. The Packers decided they were done at that point.
Last season, the Chicago Bears brought him in on a one-year deal to be their swing tackle but he was injured then, too, and only played 8 games for the Bears who dealt with other injuries as well to their line.
When it comes to the Chiefs, there are already plenty of players who can play that right side role with versatility. Mike Remmers likely has the inside track to the starting right tackle role, and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif could have the guard role wrapped on that side. However, the competition will be fierce with Trey Smith and Andrew Wylie inside to go with Lucas Niang outside. Then there’s Long who is hoping to return as soon as possible.
On paper, that’s enough players so there’s no need for Spriggs but if something happens to any one of those players, it could be worth investigating Spriggs as a potential low-cost addition who has proven ability to start in a pinch at both positions for a short spell. Having such names on speed dial (is that a thing anymore?) isn’t a bad thing, even if it’s a long shot given the depth already in house.