Austin Blythe could provide further offensive line security for KC Chiefs

It was only a year ago at this time that the Kansas City Chiefs front office was planning an all-out blitz on the free-agent market (and the NFL Draft a bit later) in an attempt to radically remake the offensive line from left to right, front to back. While a couple of players were allowed to stick around, the vast majority of familiar faces were given their pink slips as general manager Brett Veach and company went to work.

When the dust settled, the Chiefs had brand new starters across the entire line, from exciting young rookies to big-ticket veterans. Filling in the blanks was a second-string line of guys with plenty of starting experience. It took considerable time and effort, but the Chiefs were able to enter 2021 with the sort of ceiling and security across the entire offensive line that they’d not had in years in Kansas City.

While the bigger moves made last year are still very much in effect in Kansas City, Veach still has quite a bit of work to do along the front line due to the short-term nature of some of those signings—such as that of former L.A. Rams lineman Austin Blythe. For Blythe and others, the one-year agreements from a season ago are up and further security and depth must be added.

As we survey the Kansas City Chiefs free agents-to-be, let’s explore the case for bringing back center Austin Blythe.

For his part, Blythe arrived in Kansas City as an exciting one-year wonder who was supposed to supplant Austin Reiter at center as a slight veteran upgrade without further moves. If the Chiefs did decide to draft someone (like Creed Humphrey in the second round) then Blythe would serve as insurance in case he wasn’t quite ready while adding versatility as a backup lineman in case Blythe lost the starting gig.

In our latest free agent profile, it’s time to look at the case of bringing back Blythe (or not) in light of the team’s present needs and the likely moves to be made further down the line.