The Chiefs starting OL looks... better. And that should terrify the NFL

We're just 2 preseason games in. But what the Chiefs' offensive line has done in pass protection shouldn't be ignored.

There’s a chance Brett Veach has done it again.

Following the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LV loss to the Buccaneers to close the 2020 season, it was apparent that a rebuild was needed on the offensive line. Eric Fisher and Mitch Schwartz had injuries that were career-altering. The interior offensive line was a mess. It looked like a multi-year project. Instead, through free agency (Joe Thuney), the draft (Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith), and a trade (Orlando Brown), Veach was able to rebuild nearly the entire line in a single offseason.

Following the 2022 season, Veach faced a similar but smaller problem; They needed to revamp the offensive tackles following the departure of Brown and Andrew Wylie in free agency. This was a less daunting task (given it was only two positions and Kansas City now has the best interior OL in the NFL), but obviously an incredibly important one given the existence of Patrick Mahomes.

Veach addressed the tackle spots by signing Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith at the RT and LT spot, then drafting rookie Wanya Morris as a (from what we’re told) swing tackle. Morris, who I wrote about after Preseason Week 1, doesn’t figure to see the field this year. But all eyes are on Smith and Taylor and that starting offensive line, especially in pass protection. I wrote about Taylor’s film from last year here, and Smith from over the last several years here. And what I found, especially from Taylor, made me think that there’s a possibility that Veach may not only have adequately replaced their losses from last season, but perhaps improved on them.

The basic wisdom is that if the Chiefs can equal what they had with Brown/Wylie last season, they’ll be good to go. If they can improve on it? They could have the best overall pass protecting offensive line of the Mahomes era. That would be a terrifying thought for the rest of the league.

And while it’s quite early… the league may need to take notice.

Given that the Chiefs’ starters along the OL played quite a bit more against the Cardinals than they did in the first week of preseason, I thought now would be a good time to walk through what they did in pass protection. So I went back and reviewed each snap, charting for pressure (or lack thereof) and looking at how the OL performed keeping the QB upright and unbothered. Because for all the talk about the wide receiver room, the simple truth is that if Patrick Mahomes is given good protection the offense will be terrific.

Let’s talk about what Kansas City’s starting OL did as a unit in pass protection against the Cardinals, and how the early returns at least are highly promising for the Chiefs (and scary for the rest of the NFL).