Yes 55 47.41%

No 61 52.59%

Is there a LT development guy ever in the draft? How often has a practice squad LT gone on to be a pro bowler? We can’t allow an average LT to be protecting our football savior. We have to do better.
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He wasn’t a world beater last year, so if that’s the bar…
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Trade up or hit FA for better if possible. We have the picks so trade up and get a better one.
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One of best posts of this thread. Absolutely right.
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Of course there is. There's a ton of tackles in the league that weren't drafted in the top of the 1st.

It's not about getting a pro bowler right now, it's about rectifying the salary problem that OBJ presents.

Yes, they have to do better eventually. But right now, they have a Frank Clark situation brewing and they have to stop the bleeding first.
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Yup.

It's not about finding an elite tackle, at least initially. We just need someone who can be average for a few mil. a year vs. 16 mil. (what OBJ is making now) or 25 mil. a year (what he's wanting). At this point (after the season, that is) it will be a monetary situation first to take care of.

Once you've replaced your average (at best) LT with another average LT (for much cheaper) you can worry later about finding an upgrade or maybe even drafting a developing a stud to replace him.

But, again, OBJ is getting till the end of this season to prove himself. So maybe he'll get better (healthier?) and surprise us later on in the year? :-)

Not holding my breath, though.
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A great LT would be fantastic, however, those are rare-and there isn't any scheduled to be a FA, nor does this appear to be a draft class that contains one.

Lots of SB's have been won with decent LT's. We may well win one with Brown, for example.

What you CANNOT do is vastly overpay at the position just because you want him to be elite. If he's not, he's not, and you can't tie up money that way. See Frank Clark, 2020-2022. If you've got a couple of contracts like that you really hurt your roster.

For an example of a 'developmental LT', I would once again give you the example of Nijman, from Green Bay. Bahktiari goes down (by the way, he was a 4th rounder and is probably the best LT in football when healthy, but he's a rare case) and then HIS back-up goes down, and in goes Nijman early last year, and so far this year. He's done well, even earning praise from Rodgers. Bahktiari is close to returning, and he's the best, and on a large contract. That puts Nijman back on the bench after performing well at LT for a season and a half-after being an UDFA. He's basically their Prince Wanegho. Only he was pressed in to service and has played well.

I've seen it printed that he's under contract in '23, and I've seen it printed that he's a RFA. Either way, he'd be a worthwhile guy to go get as he's demonstrated that he can play the position at at least an average level (with a similar style QB, which is also important) and will not be expensive (YET). Brown, on the other hand, just cannot handle a speed rusher at all. If anything, he looks even slower this year. I would not pay this man a contract anywhere near the top of the market.

But you could win just the same with Nijman, and have a lot of money to fill other need positions, like DE.
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Nijman has been in the league 4 years, including a year on the IR.

Honestly, I'm not sure why he'd even be an RFA - I think he should be a UFA unless he signed a multi-year extension last year (and I don't see anything to suggest he did).

I see a 1-year deal signed in April. But from what I see he was an ERFA at the time so I would think that makes him an RFA this off-season. I wonder if that 1st season had him release with an injury designation at some point so he doesn't have his full 4 years of service time.

I think he's likely to be an RFA this off-season based on what I can find.
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PFF has KC's offensive line as the second best line in the NFL after 4 weeks.

Brown is the lowest rated starter on the Chiefs. They have him allowing 4 of the 9 pressures against TB.

Player Grade
Brown 60.5
Thuney 77
Creed 84.5
Smith 65.7
Wylie 67
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It's easy to see that Brown is the weakest link.
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yeah I don't know. He doesn't show up on FA lists, and only found what I did from articles from GB blogs and whatnot.

But there's an example of a young and experienced player that has proven himself competent that won't break the bank. There may well be a few more I'm unaware of.
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yeah brown not doing it.
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I would be happy If Brown could be average with an average paycheck
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The market being what it is, if he'd come back even on, say, Taylor Decker's deal - I'd be okay with that.

But yeah - he appears to have decided he'd rather price himself out. I mean the dude's dad had his career essentially ended by an arrant flag, I get it. Get your bag when you can, bud.

But I wouldn't be the one to pay it to him...
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I fully understand the thinking behind getting every dollar you can get while you can get it. At some point though, he has to at least entertain the idea that the bag he's going to get isn't quite as big as he'd like for it to be.
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