Who Will Be The Chiefs Starting Left Tackle Next Season?
The Chiefs did not invest heavily in left tackle last season and still went on to win the Super Bowl. The discount signing of Donovan Smith aired with third-round draft pick Wanya Morris ended up being enough to keep the league's most talented quarterback upright and able to win another Super Bowl. Still, the quality of play at the position was borderline at times and it feels like gambling again next season might be pushing their luck.
What we don't know is how the Chiefs feel about Morris internally. Did they see enough in his limited games as a rookie to turn the position over to him next year? That feels dangerous and I think most of us would feel much more comfortable with a proven veteran that could at least compete with Morris for the job. Could that veteran be Smith again? Perhaps, or maybe he played himself out of the discount range last season and Veach will have to find a different discount tackle this season.
If they like Morris more as their depth swing tackle going forward then they could either target a long-term left tackle option early in the draft or sign someone to a more substantial contract to be the starter for the next couple of years. There are a few veteran options that could be on the market like Jonah Williams that could be possibilities. Or maybe Brett Veach takes a shot on another reclamation project like Mehki Becton.
When you have the most important player in the NFL at quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, you have to at least have some kind of stable plan at left tackle to protect his blind side. There are lots of unknowns about how Veach may want to go about doing that. Does he believe in Morris? Does he want to run it back with Smith again? Could he target a more long-term solution in free agency or the draft?
Time will tell, but if they want to significantly upgrade their answer at left tackle it is going to take a major investment either in early draft capital or free agent dollars. That's why I have the left tackle position as one of the top three that will help define this offseason.
So there you have it Chiefs fans, my three positions that will define the Chiefs offseason. How will they go about filling these three essential spots? Will Brett Veach try to fill all three early in free agency so he can take a true best player available approach in the draft? Will he spend big to keep KC's own pending free agents or on other free agents in general or will he try to find bargains at these essential spots? We'll know the answer early in free agency and that will then set the table for how they approach the draft. I'm on record as saying he should go all in for the three-peat, but it's going to be a really fun next few weeks as we begin to see what Veach's plan is and I for one, can't wait to find out.