Chiefs Graded For 'Smart' Offensive Moves This Offseason
Chiefs Graded For 'Smart' Offensive Moves This Offseason originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
We are at the stage of the offseason where OTAs and minicamps have taken place, and it is a hard period to truly judge offensive line play, with the Kansas City Chiefs a big watch here.
Advertisement
Given that teams are unable to practice with physicality due to the NFL CBA, offensive linemen are often going against air, so we won't truly know what the Chiefs have in Jaylon Moore and rookie left tackle Josh Simmons until training camp.
But the line itself, for some, still has some uncertainty around it, with Patrick Mahomes' left side completely new, and that will take time to mesh.
However, while some are skeptical of the offensive line as a whole, Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr is rather bullish on what general manager Brett Veach was able to do this offseason.
"I think what Kansas City did was smart," Orr said. "You got Josh Simmons, but you back-stopped that with Jaylon Moore. And all of a sudden, even though you lose Joe Thuney, this doesn't look as crazy as it used to. There seems to be some sort of there there."
Former San Francisco 49ers guard Jaylon Moore blocks Arizona Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck.Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Orr is right; it doesn't look crazy, but there are still many unknowns about the Chiefs' offensive line. Plus, we haven't spoken of Kingsley Suamataia moving inside to left guard from tackle.
Advertisement
That is another element to consider.
After Mahomes was sacked a career-high 36 times last season, are the new additions to his protection enough to adequately keep him upright? Right now, that is unknown, but Orr seems confident that Moore, who is a career backup, and Simmons, when he gets healthy, can be solid players in front of Patrick.
Granted, this is all a projection; with training camp, we will get a definitive look at how the front five will mesh together.
Are the Chiefs "smart" for their business regarding the offensive line additions?
We'll let the cake bake on that one.
Related: Travis Kelce's Slimmer Frame Could Improve Play
Related: Chiefs Exuding Confidence in Mahomes Backup
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
As Micah Parsons contract negotiations continue, Cowboys should remember the key ingredient to their ‘instant grits' defense
When the Dallas Cowboys secondary took the field in recent years, they waited for the signal. How quickly should they expect their opponent to get the ball out? Al Harris, Dallas' defensive backs coach from 2021-24, would give them a clue. Advertisement 'I used to say, 'Instant grits,'' Harris told Yahoo Sports recently from Chicago, where he's now the Bears' defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator. 'When you boil water, you just put the grits in there. So it's funny because [the defensive backs] would be like, 'Hey, how the grits?'' In other words: How effective was the Cowboys' pass rush at pressuring and hurrying the quarterback? Harris' metaphor came in handy most when edge rusher Micah Parsons was healthy. Harris, also the Cowboys' assistant coach last year, knew which play calls gave the two-time All-Pro edge rusher the green light to pressure and when his defensive backs should be ready accordingly. Injuries limited Parsons to 13 games in 2024, but Parsons nonetheless finished with the fifth-most quarterback pressures in the league. With 75 total pressures, his 5.77 per game led the league among defenders who played at least a third of the season, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Advertisement Next Gen Stats credits a defender with a quarterback pressure when the defender tallies a sack; gets within 2 yards of a quarterback at a forward pass; or within 1.5 yards of the quarterback at any point in the play. Parsons has met those criteria 335 times in four regular seasons with Dallas. He's raced to 52.5 sacks in that period. Harris learned to tee off his secondary to takeaway opportunities Parsons' pressure would create. 'It'd be like second quarter [and I'd say,] 'Hey, grits hot,'' Harris said. 'They'll give me a chance to watch Micah rush a couple of times to where I say, 'OK, he's going to beat these guys all day. And I just say, 'Hey man, grits hot, so let's get to the ball. Advertisement ''Let's get to the ball.'' The Cowboys' success in head coach Brian Schottenheimer's first season leading the team will hinge heavily on Parsons' dominance. Dallas' 2021 first-round pick is a game-wrecker. And the Cowboys are currently negotiating an extension with Parsons. Closing the deal hasn't gone as quickly as cooking instant grits. But will Dallas and Parsons find a middle ground soon? Parsons attended minicamp practices this month as he enters the final year of his contract, the fifth-year option of his rookie deal that Dallas picked up. Schottenheimer praised Parsons' attendance. 'I think it just shows you he's serious about what we've talked about, which is developing that leadership mentality, the mindset to be a guy that we can count on —and not just the fourth quarter when he's got to make a big sack or get pressure on the quarterback, but just in general throughout the course of a week,' Schottenheimer told reporters. 'He's doing the things he's supposed to do in terms of he's training, he's prepping, he's been in, he's been out. Advertisement 'Nobody's more excited than Micah about what we're building here.' Quarterback Dak Prescott said the locker room is 'very confident that Micah's going to get this deal done,' with Prescott understanding the business considerations after negotiating two extensions with the Cowboys himself. Will Dallas close the deal before the Cowboys' charter is scheduled to arrive in Oxnard, Calif. on July 20 for training camp? 'I'm pretty hopeful,' Parsons said of that timeline. 'I'm still hanging tight. I understand it's up to [Jerry Jones] and he gives the green light on everything. So hopefully something's done by next month.' Advertisement Until then, Parsons said he'll continue to learn the Cowboys' new defensive system under coordinator Matt Eberflus, as Parsons gives pointers to teammates while at the facility and training with cornerback Trevon Diggs while away from it. 'The simple things,' he said of his guidance. 'It's not always the major things that make football great. It's always the small details, the footwork, the positioning, the angles. 'We'll watch film together and I can tell guys what I see from a vetted experience.' Parsons plans to attend training camp with or without a deal, he said, already reserving a house for his family in California during the Cowboys' nearly four weeks there. Would he practice without a deal? 'We'll see,' Parsons said. 'Time will tell.'
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
🎥 Lifelong loyalty? This Chelsea fan couldn't care less
Staying forever loyal to the once chosen favorite team is considered a matter of honor for many fans. In the USA, the clocks seem to tick a little differently. A Chelsea supporter wanted to have nothing more to do with the Blues before their game against Flamengo at the Club World Cup. But it's also an irresistible persuasion work that the media team from Flamengo is doing. Advertisement "I don't know.." "Come on, you know which is the bigger team!" "Yeah okay" And just like that, the jersey is switched. The USA, the land of unlimited possibilities. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here. 📸 GLYN KIRK
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kevin Durant squashed DeMarcus Cousins' wild Suns locker room rumor
The Phoenix Suns might not have been the worst team in the NBA, but it's hard to argue that there was a team in the league that had a worse year. The Suns came into the season with championship expectations. Now, we're out here looking for new homes for Kevin Durant and speculating about how the Suns are going to kickstart their rebuild. Life comes at you fast in this league. Super fast. Advertisement WHAT HE WANTS: Durant reportedly "specifically" wants to go to one destination As terrible as this year was, though, you never quite heard about locker room chaos. At least not in the same way you might think of when you think about underachieving teams. But DeMarcus Cousins (of all people!) says that the chaos existed — you just didn't hear about it. Cousins told Run It Back that the Suns had some "fist fights" in the locker room. This is a bit strange — especially considering the source. Cousins wasn't in the Suns' locker room this year, obviously. He's just "reporting" what he heard, which isn't exactly credible. Cousins had a solid NBA career, but he's no reporter. Advertisement Kevin Durant called cap here, unsurprisingly. Durant seems pretty believable here. I know we don't hear everything that comes out of the locker room, but it's hard to believe that we wouldn't hear about fights that broke out in the Suns locker room. And when you consider the source here? Yeah, it becomes even more questionable. Fun story. But that's probably all this is. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Kevin Durant squashed DeMarcus Cousins' wild Suns locker room rumor
