The latest
2024 NFL offseason: Teams with roster holes after free agency | ESPN
Left tackle: Kansas City Chiefs
Out: Donovan Smith
The Chiefs could start their fourth left tackle in five years in front of Patrick Mahomes. After Eric Fisher tore his Achilles tendon during the 2020 postseason, the team moved on from the 2013 No. 1 overall pick by trading for Ravens tackle Orlando Brown Jr. Brown spent 2021 and 2022 at left tackle for Kansas City, but after being franchise-tagged once, the franchise let him leave in free agency and replaced him with Smith, who started 12 games for Andy Reid & Co. as they won their third title of the Mahomes era last season.
In: No one
Ranking Top QB-WR Duos Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft | Bleacher Report
Honorable Mentions
Patrick Mahomes and Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs have signed Marquise Brown to a one-year deal, and he could steal targets from Rashee Rice when Patrick Mahomes doesn’t throw to his go-to pass-catcher, Travis Kelce.
Yet Rice showed promise in his rookie year, hauling in 79 passes for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. He led the team in touchdown receptions and finished with a slightly higher catch rate (77.5 percent) than Kelce (76.9).
Even with Brown on the Chiefs roster, Rice could top his numbers from the previous year as he continues to build on an existing connection with Mahomes.
Kansas City Chiefs
TRADE WITH
Seattle Seahawks
Chiefs receive:
No. 16 overall pick (Round 1)
Seahawks receive:
No. 32 overall (Round 1)
No. 64 overall (Round 2)
2025 third-round choice
The Chiefs’ Brett Veach has surely contacted members of his general manager cohort like the Seahawks’ John Schneider (who holds the No. 16 overall pick) and Rams’ Les Snead (No. 19) about potential trades. The target in this hypothetical would be the speedy Worthy. Signing veteran Marquise Brown to a one-year deal helps the cause, but Veach and head coach Andy Reid will be looking for another speed demon after seeing how injuries and inconsistent play at receiver affected the offense this past season.
Schneider might welcome this deal because he traded his second-round pick to the Giants for defensive lineman Leonard Williams last fall. Even after moving down 16 slots, Schneider could still find a new starting offensive lineman (Cooper Beebe or Jackson Powers-Johnson), defensive lineman (Braden Fiske or Jer’Zahn Newton) or linebacker (Edgerrin Cooper, Trevin Wallace or Payton Wilson) late in the first. Schneider may have interest in the 2025 third-round pick Kansas City received from Tennessee in the L’Jarius Sneed trade, having already dealt next year’s fifth-rounder in the Williams trade.
The Ringer’s 2024 NFL Mock Draft | The Ringer
32 – KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
KINGSLEY SUAMATAIA
TACKLE
BYU
The Chiefs desperately need to add depth and talent to their offensive line, and do so here with Suamataia. A former BYU standout, Suamataia has experience starting at both tackle spots and has the body type to fill in at guard in a pinch.
NFL Mock Draft 2024: Latest Predictions One Month Before Round 1 | The 33rd Team
Jordan Morgan, Arizona, OL
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 311 pounds
Class: 5-Year Senior
Fit: The Kansas City Chiefs could take a wide receiver, but they opt for the offensive lineman instead. Jordan Morgan has a lot of experience at left tackle, and his athleticism could keep him there in the NFL.
But he could also slide to guard if the Chiefs move on from Trey Smith in 2025. Morgan is one of the most athletic tackles in the draft and would be a fantastic fit in Kansas City’s offense.
Around the NFL
Jets owner calls report on argument with Saleh ‘absolutely false’ | ESPN
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson used social media Thursday to rebut a claim by an NFL Network host that he and coach Robert Saleh engaged in a “very heated conversation” earlier this week at the NFL’s annual league meeting in Orlando, Florida.
“All this nonsense about a heated argument between Coach Saleh and me at the league meeting is absolutely false,” Johnson said on X. “It is yet another irresponsible report from NFL Network. Please disregard.”
It’s unusual for Johnson, 76, to respond in this manner, but he evidently felt compelled after a comment by NFL Network’s Colleen Wolfe gained traction late Wednesday.
On the “Around the NFL” podcast, Wolfe said she heard about the alleged Johnson-Saleh dispute from a “very reliable source.” Initially, she said it occurred at the NFL’s cocktail reception Monday night at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, which hosted the NFL’s league meetings. Later in the podcast, she said it was Sunday night, not Monday. She provided no other details, except to say it became “a little awkward.”
With Javon Hargrave and Nick Bosa on the defensive line, the 49ers couldn’t afford to keep Armstead. When he took a three-year, $43.5 million deal with the Jaguars, it was nothing more than a talented veteran capitalizing on the business of football.
However, as Armstead revealed on his podcast — yes, everyone truly has a podcast these days — Third and Long, his parting with the 49ers didn’t come without a bit of a sting in the form of a lowball offer.
“They extended an offer to me of $6 million for a one-year deal with incentives to go up to $8 (million),” Armstead explained. “When they sent that over, I did feel extremely disrespected. I don’t feel that that level of compensation is [anywhere] near the type of player that I am.
“Not even just the type of player that I am, what I have committed to the game, what I have committed to my team, what I have committed to the organization and my community. I didn’t feel like it was representative of who I am as a player and a person.”
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs Draft: Texas tackle Christian Jones is an underrated prospect
Pass protection
Pass protection was vital in creating explosive passing plays down the field in the high-powered Texas offense.
Jones was solid in protection, using quick feet and a strong core to hold off some of the best pass rushers in the nation.
Jones is pretty smooth in his pass sets. Good initial vertical movement, and then throws back the anchor and locks into the edge rusher. Turns his shoulders to the sideline, but overall a good rep. pic.twitter.com/4YKxlEvCr0
— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) March 6, 2024
On the snap, Jones is smooth out of his stance and moving quickly but not rushing. Although he does bend at the waist and lunge to a degree, he absorbs the impact of the pass rusher and wins the inside hand fight while sinking his hips to anchor down and win the rep.
The smooth glide into the drive, catch motion, and ability to sink his hips and anchor down show that Jones has the necessary physical tools and traits to play in the NFL. His hands may need work, and he may never be a natural striker in pass protection, but when he does lock on to a player and can keep his hands tight and feet moving, he is hard to beat.