https://heavy.com/sports/2020/09/chi...nsive-linemen/
Chiefs Tryout Ex-Saints Linemen, Former Mizzou Prospect
The Kansas City Chiefs offensive line put on a dominant showing against a stout Houston Texans defensive front in Week 1, clearing the way for 166 total rushing yards and only one sack of QB Patrick Mahomes.
While Thursday’s performance was an encouraging sign of things to come this season, the Chiefs’ front office is not resting on its laurels. According to the NFL transaction report on Saturday, the team brought in three free agent offensive linemen for workouts — Patrick Omameh, Paul Adams and John Leglue.
All three free agents have some level of NFL experience to offer, however the most likely scenario for any of the three would be a spot on Kansas City’s 16-man practice squad or free agent call list as insurance against potential injuries later in the season.
More on Chiefs’ Offensive Line Targets
The most experienced of the latest group of Chiefs’ tryouts, Omameh, originally entered the league as an undrafted free agent of the San Francisco 49ers back in 2013. The 30-year-old guard-tackle hybrid was most recently a member of the New Orleans Saints in 2019, playing in 14 games, including one start. Omameh now looks for a chance to catch on with his seventh NFL team in Kansas City after New Orleans cut him loose during final roster cuts this offseason. The 6-foot-4-inch, 327-pound Michigan alum has started 57-of-81 career games to date.
Leglue, like Omameh, has experience with the Saints, and at 24 years old, the second-year pro could add flexibility at tackle or guard. He originally signed on with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2019, but later caught on in New Orleans after being released by Denver. In December 2019, Leglue earned an opportunity to play for the Green Bay Packers, who signed him to their 53-man roster from the Saints’ practice squad.
Finally, Adams, an offensive tackle most recently with the Washington Football Team prior to 53-man roster cuts, was a two-time team captain during his collegiate career at the University of Missouri. The 6-foot-5-inch, 317-pounder went undrafted in 2019 before signing with the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad.
With Kansas City’s practice squad currently capped at 16 players, the defending Super Bowl champions would be forced to make a roster move to make room for either player should they intend to sign one. We should know more early this week.
[Reply]
Reid just likes OLs. Of course, after last year I can hardly blame him for taking a look at some more depth. But historically he has always liked having a lot of depth on the OL.
One thing I noticed from the above is that he seems to be targeting bigger guards than he has recently. All these guys are at least 10 lbs. heavier than the guards he usually has in his stable.
[Reply]
Originally Posted by Megatron96:
Reid just likes OLs. Of course, after last year I can hardly blame him for taking a look at some more depth. But historically he has always liked having a lot of depth on the OL.
One thing I noticed from the above is that he seems to be targeting bigger guards than he has recently. All these guys are at least 10 lbs. heavier than the guards he usually has in his stable.
Maybe he liked what he saw from a bigger guy like KO?
[Reply]
Originally Posted by tatorhog:
Maybe he liked what he saw from a bigger guy like KO?
Maybe. I want to say even probably.
The one knock I've ever had on Andy's OLs over the years is that he was always more inclined to want more athletic guys over beef. i think that's a hold-over from his really early days with the Packers. Back then, teams like the Cowboys invested in really big OLs that relied on sheer mass, while WCOs tended towards smaller but more athletic OLs because of the more intricate blocking schemes required in the WCO. in particular I remember one year the Cowboys had the biggest OL in football, while the 49ers had the smallest. But both were considered the top 2 OLs that season.
But, and this is more just my opinion now, if your smaller more athletic OLs are going to be asked to power run block, you need to have some really great really intelligent athletes, and those just aren't that common. It's actually probably easier to find bigger guys that are just pretty good athletes and also smarter than average and then coach them up.
Anyway, like I said above, it's entirely likely that Andy just wants to take a look at some depth for the OL based on last season's OL debacle. But IMO, it would be nice if he starts thinking about putting some more beef inside to make that short-yardage run game a bit more effective.
[Reply]