KC Chiefs offensive line should hold its own against Browns pass rush

Super Bowl LV left a bad taste in the mouths of the K.C. Chiefs brass, the franchise’s players, and every person who considers themselves a member of Chiefs Kingdom. Patrick Mahomes was pressured a record 29 times and even the best player in the world can’t make up for that type of deficiency.

With that memory presumably driving him, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach went to work this past offseason to revamp the offensive line. In similar fashion to his rebuild of the defense, Veach seemingly completed the impossible this offseason. The team signed multiple stellar veterans and added another couple blue-chip pieces in this year’s NFL Draft.

The revamp was considered so successful, at least on paper, that anticipation began to grow even outside the confines of Chiefs Kingdom. Local and national analysts alike had high praise for the infusion of talent, with publications like Pro Football Focus ranking the Chiefs offensive line just outside the top five.

Unsurprisingly, the Chiefs just released their first “unofficial” depth chart for the regular season, and there’s not a single familiar face among the starters. From left to right the Chiefs will start Orlando Brown, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, and Lucas Niang.

With one free agent signing, one player acquired through trade, and three draft picks (one from last season), none of these players have played a single snap together in the regular season. They’ll need to gel quickly as they face a stiff challenge in the Cleveland Browns pass rush on Sunday afternoon.

The Cleveland Browns are an ascending football team

As a long time Chiefs fan, I can honestly say I pull for the Cleveland Browns. All of Chiefs Kingdom knows what it’s like to root for a mediocre team, always hoping that next season the franchise will transform into a juggernaut. It’s a tough place for a fan to be.

Of all fan bases in the NFL, there is an argument to be made that the Browns fan base has suffered the most in the modern era. Before last season, the franchise had made the playoffs only twice since 1990, with the last postseason appearance happening almost 20 years ago.

All they did was leave their mark by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, their hated rival, in an absolute slugfest in the AFC Wildcard round. They came up short against the Chiefs in the divisional round, but it came down to the final play.

There’s been a lot of talk this offseason coming from Browns players, one in particular. They truly believe they should have won the aforementioned playoff game and plan to vindicate themselves this Sunday. Should Chiefs fans be worried?