Three unsung heroes on the Kansas City Chiefs offense line
By Matt Conner
Andrew Wylie
Speaking of looming shadows, they are cast wherever Andrew Wylie has played over the years for the Chiefs given that he’s usually filling in for someone else. If Wylie is occupying a spot for the long-term, it’s typically meant that another player either became injured or did not work, leaving a guy like Wylie to fill in the blanks. What’s amazing (and what deserves mention here) is just how well Wylie has filled in over time at various roles to allow the Chiefs to maintain their success.
Wylie is such a great story for the Chiefs in that he spent his entire rookie season as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Michigan just trying to get a long look from anyone. The Indianapolis Colts were first. Then the Cleveland Browns came calling as well. By the end of 2017, his first year in professional football, he’d also spent time with the San Diego Chargers to no avail. He was released in late December having came and went with three NFL teams in just about as many months.
It was then the Chiefs came calling with a futures offer and Wylie had an offseason home to grow with a team’s training staff and to earn the trust of a team’s coaching staff. He ran with the opportunity and never looked back.
Wylie went on to play in all 16 games in 2018 and started 10 and he even earned the team’s Mack Lee Hill Award for the Chiefs’ best rookie performer. From there, Wylie has started 41 games over four seasons at left guard, right guard, and now right tackle while others have proven to be unavailable for various reasons.
It’s true that Wylie isn’t the best isolated on an island outside, especially in pass protection, and Chiefs Kingdom (and likely coaches) would much rather see a healthy Lucas Niang or even Mike Remmers on the right side. That said, Wylie has gotten better over time and is a good run blocker there in particular. In the interior, it’s a reliable starter whose versatility makes his value hard to pinpoint.
What we do know is that Wylie deserves more applause than he receives and Chiefs Kingdom should be thankful for the security he provides at several places.