Although it is anticipated that the Chiefs would select a wide receiver in the first round, they may decide to veer off course to address a grave need on the team. The Chiefs now lack a reliable starting left tackle to shield quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blindside.
On Thursday, April 18, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Kansas City is actively seeking a replacement for the role. Andre Dillard, an offensive tackle, visited the Chiefs as a free agency prior to signing a contract with the Green Bay Packers. According to Fowler, “Kansas City needs tackle help, which it could find in the draft.”
However, Charles Goldman of AtoZ Sports pointed out that the Chiefs could be able to use a few of the remaining free agents. especially David Bakhtiari, a former great with the Packers. In 2020, the 32-year-old veteran agreed to a $92 million, four-year contract extension with Green Bay. The Packers were able to avoid paying the cap by more than $20 million by releasing Bakhtiari in March.
Goldman stated, “They could take a swing with former Green Bay Packers LT David Bahktiari if they wanted to go a low-risk, high-reward route.” After rupturing his ACL late in the 2020 NFL season, he has only been able to participate in 13 games. In the event that he is healthy, he might be a good value.
The Chiefs traded L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans, releasing cap space of about $20.1 million. Having a veteran like Bakhtiari, a two-time First-Team All-Pro, on hand to assist mentor the youngster is a wise decision, even if they want to choose a left tackle.
Analyst Wendell Ferreira identified the Chiefs as “the most obvious” landing destination for Bakhtiari earlier this month. In contrast to expected starting left tackle Wanya Morris, a third-round selection in the previous year’s draft who saw action in 30% of the offensive snaps in his rookie season after entering as a backup and performing mediocrely, the three-time Pro Bowler “would be an obvious upgrade,” according to Ferreira’s writing.
“Jawann Taylor will play at left tackle while Lucas Niang plays at right tackle in the backup plan, which is also a poor choice. Donovan Smith, who started for the Chiefs last season, hasn’t been re-signed, and Bakhtiari is a far superior player. Although Bakhtiari’s health is clearly a concern, the Chiefs might live with him missing six or seven games if he is well enough to play in November.
When healthy, Colorado’s 2013 fourth-round selection is a tremendous player. According to Pro Football Focus, since joining the NFL, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound player has given up 32.0 sacks over 5,758 pass-blocking snaps. In the NFL season of 2022, he made 11 appearances. He received a 79.8 overall rating for the 11 starts he made.
Smith’s neck injury from the previous season caused him to miss a lot of games, but ESPN insider Bill Barnwell claims that’s not the main reason the veteran is still free agency.
Penalties, according to Barnwell.
“Smith ties for third place among all players with 29 during the last four seasons. Jawaan Taylor, a fellow tackle and former Chiefs teammate, is ranked No. 1, thus that should serve as evidence that a player’s ability to win a Super Bowl cannot be limited by penalties alone. Smith, 30, may also have some health issues because he missed the last five regular season games due to a neck injury before making a comeback in the postseason.
Taylor, who inked a four-year, $80 million deal with the Chiefs in March of last year, was the league’s most penalised offensive lineman at the end of the 2023 campaign.
In May of last year, Kansas City signed Smith to a $3 million, one-year contract. Re-signing Smith might be the Chiefs’ fallback option if they fail to choose an offensive lineman in the draft or locate a new veteran they like.
