The Kansas City Chiefs and Orlando Brown Jr. did not get an extension done before the July 15 deadline for all franchise-tagged players to sign an extension. Because the deadline was missed, Brown and the Chiefs are ineligible to continue negotiations.
Brown can either play out the season on the tag or hold out until free agency again next March. It makes a lot more sense financially for him to play out the entire season on the tag since he would be forfeiting $16.662 million when his career earnings are just over $6 million, per Over The Cap. He would lose an amount greater than his career earnings through 2021 if he holds out until November. If Brown Jr. does inexplicably hold out into the regular season, could recently signed tackle Geron Christian be a potential short-term solution?
If the Chiefs are put in the position of needing a new left tackle, they might not have to look for to be a replacement. Geron Christian signed with the Chiefs this past March after three years in Washington and a single season in Houston. In 2021, after Texans starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil’s season ended due to a thumb injury, Christian was the replacement for the Texans. In 2021, Christian earned an average 59.5 Pro Football Focus overall grade ($) but an excellent 78.8 pass-blocking grade.
After taking over the starting job in the middle of Week 5, Geron Christian earned a magnificent PFF blocking grade ($) of 79.8, which was good enough for 18th among all tackles over that stretch, including slightly beating out Orlando Brown Jr.’s 78.9 grade in pass blocking snaps. His run blocking was a problem last year, earning a concerning grade of 39.6 in that part of the game, including a 40.4 grade when he was the starter.
With Orlando Brown Jr. not signing an extension before the July 15 deadline, could the Chiefs use Geron Christian at left tackle if he holds out all season?
One positive of Christian replacing Brown is that he has significant left tackle experience, with over 1,000 career snaps on the blindside. Another silver lining of Christian taking over is that the Chiefs likely won’t see much of a dip in quality of play on passing downs, if at all, if Brown doesn’t play. Another thing that shouldn’t be forgotten is if Christian does play the entire season as the starting left tackle, the Chiefs should be able to retain him at a much lower rate next offseason if they so desire.
The downside of Christian playing left tackle, however, is that run blocking is not a strength. Based on last season, he’s more of a pass protector than a road grader, which can be a problem if the Chiefs want to use the interior of their offensive line to their advantage and run it down the defense’s throats. Also, if Brown never reports, that hurts the Chiefs’ depth at tackle. In the case of a holdout, the Chiefs would be down to Christian, Andrew Wylie, Lucas Niang, and Darian Kinnard as the tackles on the roster. Christian was decent last year but is certainly not an established starter. Wylie is inconsistent and also isn’t an established player. Niang is coming off of a major injury and Kinnard is a rookie and also relatively raw as a prospect.
In conclusion, if Brown Jr. does decide to sit for part of, if not the entire season, the Chiefs will have to scramble to find a replacement. They could move guard Joe Thuney to left tackle (like in Week 17 last year against the Bengals) but I would be wary of moving a borderline All-Pro player to a completely different position long-term. Also, there’s no solid free agent out there that I would feel comfortable taking over. Eric Fisher’s health and level of play are both questions and Duane Brown was just arrested. But in my opinion, the Chiefs should turn to Christian if they’re in the market for a replacement left tackle, no matter how long Brown is out.
What do you think of Geron Christian? Would you feel comfortable if he was blocking for Patrick Mahomes’ blindside? Feel free to let me know in the comment section or on Twitter (@StrozinskyLucas).