Anybody else been doing this in their mocks over the last week or two since we've known Schwartz will be returning?
I still see the logic in going OT in the 1st, but with Schwartz on deck for 2021, that means we have two tackles in Schwartz and Niang, with Fisher set to return by playoffs time at least.
We have LDT coming back and some depth options, and I'm currently assuming this team bends over backwards to bring back Remmers.
This team does have needs at center and LG, but I assume they slide Allegretti to center and get a decent FA at LG, or maybe they keep Allegretti where he was and invest at center. Either way, plugging the dam on the OL isn't as daunting now as it was before.
Meanwhile, the team is starving for better tertiary options after Hill and Kelce, and are absolutely dying for better DE talent and linebacker options. (And secondary depth, but every team in the NFL always has secondary depth issues.)
I'm finding myself more and more going DE and WR and LB in the early rounds, and holding off on OL until the midrounds. I've had a couple mocks where I haven't gone OL at all, which I know is unreasonable.
But considering what this team has been able to find at OL in the mid to late rounds, I think it's an interesting proposition that we should prepare ourselves for: a fanbase that will convulse at a lack of draft picks at a perceived need. [Reply]
Originally Posted by kccrow:
What way do they have to address it other than 1) shitstains for FAs or 2) the draft?
I'm not looking at just 2021. They can make it through 2021 with some vet min guys and maybe 1 draft pick. It's 2022 when they all hit the market that's most concerning. Do you want 4 new offensive linemen in 2022? And maybe that's being facetious on my part a bit... at least 2. You could re-sign Fisher, you have Allegretti, and you have Niang. Still going to need a couple of depth guys and it's probable you'll need 2 starters.
I think they'll address the center position this offseason. I don't think it's out of the question that they spend some money there, whether it be on a quality FA or bringing back Austin Reiter.
After that, they really need ONE guy before the end of next year, assuming Fisher comes back and Niang is ready to step in.
They'll have probably 6 picks in the first 3 rounds over the next 2 years plus free agency.
There's no reason to just throw numbers at it. [Reply]
I don't know that they can afford to bring back Reiter or bring in an outside FA at Center. I think it depends more on Reiter's market than anything else. I'd be interested in Pocic from Seattle if they don't bring Reiter back and/or the price is better. That said, unless the cap moves, they are going to have some trouble signing anyone without some significant wand waiving. That likely means converting roster bonuses on all of Mahomes, Jones, and Hill to signing bonuses and possibly extensions of Fisher and/or Mathieu.
That's kind of the issue I'm looking at. I think the plan would be to move Allegretti inside to the position he was drafted for after getting a year of experience at Guard and then draft or sign a backup. This team functions okay with subpar guards. Center and Tackle, not so much.
If they don't want to move Gretti inside to Center, then they need to get a starter. That likely means a day 2 pick or a FA signing they probably can't afford unless it's a one-year stopgap (e.g. Kilgore).
There's still also the question of hedging your bets at OT. Is Tano Wego an answer? You have one backup tackle, legitimately, in Niang. The Chiefs obviously didn't feel good about Rankin there and I wouldn't either. We saw the other disaster. [Reply]
Originally Posted by kccrow:
I don't know that they can afford to bring back Reiter or bring in an outside FA at Center. I think it depends more on Reiter's market than anything else. I'd be interested in Pocic from Seattle if they don't bring Reiter back and/or the price is better. That said, unless the cap moves, they are going to have some trouble signing anyone without some significant wand waiving. That likely means converting roster bonuses on all of Mahomes, Jones, and Hill to signing bonuses and possibly extensions of Fisher and/or Mathieu.
That's kind of the issue I'm looking at. I think the plan would be to move Allegretti inside to the position he was drafted for after getting a year of experience at Guard and then draft or sign a backup. This team functions okay with subpar guards. Center and Tackle, not so much.
If they don't want to move Gretti inside to Center, then they need to get a starter. That likely means a day 2 pick or a FA signing they probably can't afford unless it's a one-year stopgap (e.g. Kilgore).
There's still also the question of hedging your bets at OT. Is Tano Wego an answer? You have one backup tackle, legitimately, in Niang. The Chiefs obviously didn't feel good about Rankin there and I wouldn't either. We saw the other disaster.
I think we're going to be surprised by free agency. I don't think they can afford it either but then they always seem to figure out a way to make at least one splash move. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Dante84:
Well, in the presser this morning, Veach shared that they expect both Mitch and Fish to be back by/around Week 1 (Fish targeting mid-August return).
If that's true:
Fisher
LDT
CENTER
Niang
Schwartz
...with some of our holdovers gives us a little more room to operate in FA and the Draft.
LDT is your RG, not LG. And Allegretti is a center.
Niang makes sense as a LG if you need one -- so you've got a penciled in starting lineup for most of the year, barring injuries.
I'm not saying they shouldn't go OL. But I can see targeted FA pickups and midround picks fleshing out the depth chart, rather than premier resources. [Reply]
Originally Posted by el borracho:
I think we need to come out of the draft with a LT and a OC. I guess we can debate for the next couple of months on how large an investment to make and whether we see these as permanent fixtures or merely temporary fixes.
Dumb AF.
The draft board should dictate the selections.
Taking available players due to this perceived "need" is a waste of valuable resources that rarely turns out well. [Reply]
The Chiefs have been "getting by" on the cheap for OL for several years. They are at a time where they need to infuse some quality talent for the "after Fisher/Schwartz" years. Another couple years of PMII running for his life could hurt his continued development, both mental and physical. I agree that BPA is the correct draft strategy but spending 500K to protect a 500 million dollar QB is insanity. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Dante84:
Well, in the presser this morning, Veach shared that they expect both Mitch and Fish to be back by/around Week 1 (Fish targeting mid-August return).
If that's true:
Fisher
LDT
CENTER
Niang
Schwartz
...with some of our holdovers gives us a little more room to operate in FA and the Draft.
Woohoo!! That’s amazing news and definitely eliminates the intensity or need to draft a tackle in the first or second. If a tackle is clearly bpa, then so be it but I’d rather go elsewhere and address edge, wr or cb in the 1st. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
I think they'll address the center position this offseason. I don't think it's out of the question that they spend some money there, whether it be on a quality FA or bringing back Austin Reiter.
After that, they really need ONE guy before the end of next year, assuming Fisher comes back and Niang is ready to step in.
They'll have probably 6 picks in the first 3 rounds over the next 2 years plus free agency.
There's no reason to just throw numbers at it.
...and if they don't? What's your backup plan since you think that choosing 1 guy in the 1st four rounds is too much? Drafting 2 dudes is overkill so what is the plan if Fish can't return to normal and Niang isn't ready yet. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mkp785:
...and if they don't? What's your backup plan since you think that choosing 1 guy in the 1st four rounds is too much? Drafting 2 dudes is overkill so what is the plan if Fish can't return to normal and Niang isn't ready yet.
Hopefully you bring back Remmers.
You can suffer Remmers at LT for half a season if need be, if you're solid in the other spots. [Reply]
I'm amazed at how many guys here are playing down the OL situation. PMII scrambled for the most yards behind the LOS in the Super Bowl since they started keeping track. You think 2 30+ yr old tackles, 1 with a ruptured achilles and the other with back surgery will bounce back better than ever in 6-8 months and it will be all roses. And since the injury bug bit us last year injuries won't be a problem this year because apparently injuries never hit the same team 2 years in a row. Hoping all this happens is great but hope in 1 hand and shit in the other and see which full the quickest. Cheap brokedicks from FA because they don't have any cap space isn't the answer either. Their best shot at getting quality affordable OL is through the draft. [Reply]
Originally Posted by tmax63:
I'm amazed at how many guys here are playing down the OL situation. PMII scrambled for the most yards behind the LOS in the Super Bowl since they started keeping track. You think 2 30+ yr old tackles, 1 with a ruptured achilles and the other with back surgery will bounce back better than ever in 6-8 months and it will be all roses. And since the injury bug bit us last year injuries won't be a problem this year because apparently injuries never hit the same team 2 years in a row. Hoping all this happens is great but hope in 1 hand and shit in the other and see which full the quickest. Cheap brokedicks from FA because they don't have any cap space isn't the answer either. Their best shot at getting quality affordable OL is through the draft.
It's funny. I think that grabbing a C in the 2nd and then another G/T combo guy somewhere during the rest of the draft is fine. We do need to address it within the 1st few rounds. I'm not talking about reaching, as I would take an edge in the 1st but we need a center and we need another swing guy in case the worst case scenario happens. [Reply]
An OL at 31 should be a starter day 1. I truly wonder what the SB would have been like if Mahommes had an extra 1-1.5 seconds to throw the ball. How many completions to WRs or TK having time to come open. How many drives/points left on the field. [Reply]