The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to do something that no other NFL team has ever accomplished: win three consecutive Super Bowl titles. In order to do that, they will need to find the answer to several questions on their roster. Fortunately, they already have a dynamic quarterback in Patrick Mahomes and a future Hall of Fame pass catcher in Travis Kelce.
Kansas City also has a young group of wide receivers that have shown a great deal of promise and were, obviously, good enough to win a Super Bowl. However, that are now some questions concerning the offensive line and its ability to protect Mahomes.
The Kansas City Chiefs Chose Not to Re-Sign Left Tackle Donovan Smith
Last offseason, the Chiefs signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith to play the same position for them. It worked out well enough as Kansas City repeated as Super Bowl Champions.
However, Smith missed the final five games of the regular season with a neck injury and is now on the wrong side of 30.
He has also committed the third-most penalties in the NFL over the past four seasons, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell (Chiefs’ right tackle Jawaan Taylor has committed the most).
One thing is certain: Kansas City wanted to get younger and less prone to committing penalties on their offensive line. Currently, Wanya Morris and 2024 NFL Draft pick Kingsley Suamataia are in line to battle for the starting job at left tackle.
There are questions, though, about whether or not either will be good enough to regularly be trusted to protect Mahomes’ blindside.
The Kansas City Chiefs Are Named the Best Fit for Former Green Bay Packers Tackle David Bakhtiari
If Kansas City is worried about inexperience or too many penalties at the left tackle position, they could take a flyer on recently released All-Pro David Bakhtiari, formerly of the Green Bay Packers.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report suggests that the Chiefs may actually be the best fit for Bakhtiari:
“While there’s no guarantee that Bakhtiari will return to pre-injury form, his past production should make him incredibly enticing to tackle-needy teams who believe they can win this season.
“The Kansas City Chiefs, who have won back-to-back Super Bowls, are clearly ready to win now. However, they have some uncertainty at left tackle after not retaining 2023 starter Donovan Smith.”
The big question, though, is whether or not Bakhtiari can stay healthy. He has played just 13 games over his past three seasons, and 11 of those were in 2022. He had a good follow up with the doctor who did his knee surgery last season and is on track to be ready for training camp; but can his knee stay healthy?
If the Chiefs believe that it can, he could be an inexpensive investment in their line that could provide it with veteran leadership and penalty-free play.
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