ESPN Defines Chiefs Offseason With Major ‘Slide' Reference

The Kansas City Chiefs made it through 19 games last season mostly secure in hiding one of their biggest weaknesses. When at full strength, the Chiefs only lost one game the entire campaign before reaching Super Bowl LIX. 

But that dreaded Sunday night in February saw Kansas City exposed on a grand scale, falling 40-22 to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs could hardly move the ball with quarterback Patrick Mahomes under suffocating pressure all night long. 

He took six sacks that game as Kansas City's pass protection weakness was fully unsheathed. Last season, Mahomes took a total of 36 sacks, by far the most of his career to this point. 

Once again, Brett Veach called upon an overhaul of the line, similar to when the Chiefs took action after Super Bowl LV when essentially the same thing happened. 

But these changes do not guarantee the same results. In fact, they come with some level of risk. Specifically on the left side, the new installments have limited starting experience. 

In his AFC offseason superlatives, ESPN's Bill Barnwell labeled the Chiefs the "most likely to slide their pass protection to the left."

"If everything goes as planned, Kansas City's starting left guard and left tackle will have only a combined 14 NFL starts. It's always fair to assume Mahomes and the Chiefs will find a way to overcome a weak spot on their roster, as they did for most of last season, but the loss to the Eagles served as a reminder of how things can go wrong."

Tenured backup Jaylon Moore takes over at left tackle and it will be a battle between Mike Caliendo and Kingsley Suamataia at the left guard spot. The Chiefs have also added rookie Josh Simmons who possesses some versatility but will be returning from a major leg injury suffered last fall. 

There is a dependence on some unknowns to come through from the Chiefs side. That is a major gamble to make, especially on the offensive line. 

If anyone has found a way to consistently make setbacks and obstacles work in their favor though, it is the Chiefs and the core of Mahomes and Andy Reid leading the way.