With just one week left before the 2024 NFL draft, the Kansas City Chiefs are finishing their board.
The Chiefs are expected to pick a wide receiver in the first round, but they might change course to fill a big gap in the team. Currently, the Chiefs lack a quality starting left tackle to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ blindside.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on Thursday, April 18 that Kansas City is actively seeking to fill the position. Prior to offensive tackle Andre Dillard joining the Green Bay Packers, he visited the Chiefs as a free agent. “Kansas City needs tackle help, which it could find in the draft,” Fowler reported.
AtoZ Sports’ Charles Goldman, however, noted there are several free agents still available who could fit well with the Chiefs. In particular, former Packers standout David Bakhtiari. The 32-year-old veteran signed a four-year, $92 million extension with Green Bay in 2020. By releasing Bakhtiari in March, the Packers saved over $20 million against the cap.
Goldman wrote, “If they wanted to go a low-risk, high-reward route, they could take a swing with former Green Bay Packers LT David Bahktiari. He’s managed to play in just 13 games since tearing his ACL late in the 2020 NFL season. If he’s fully healthy, he could prove to be a steal.”
The Chiefs have about $20.1 million in cap space after trading L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans. Even if they plan to draft a left tackle, having a veteran like Bakhtiari, a two-time First-Team All-Pro, on hand to help mentor the prospect is a solid move.
David Bakhtiari Would Be an ‘Obvious Upgrade’ Over the Chiefs’ Current Options at LT
GettyFormer Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari at Lambeau Field on January 08, 2023.
Earlier this month, analyst Wendell Ferreira named the Chiefs as “the most obvious” landing spot for Bakhtiari. The three-time Pro-Bowler “would be an obvious upgrade compared to projected starting left tackle Wanya Morris, a third-round pick in last year’s draft who played 30% of the offensive snaps in his rookie season coming in as a backup — and played at a mediocre level,” Ferreira wrote.
“The plan B is to move Jawann Taylor to left tackle, with Lucas Niang playing at right tackle, which isn’t a great solution either. The Chiefs haven’t re-signed Donovan Smith, who started last year, and Bakhtiari is a much better player. The health question marks are obvious, but the Chiefs could handle Bakhtiari missing six or seven games if he’s healthy enough to play from November on.”
When the 2013 fourth-round pick out of Colorado is healthy, he’s a force. Since entering the NFL, the 6-foot-3, 230-pounder allowed 32.0 sacks over 5,758 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus. During the 2022 NFL season, he appeared in 11 games. He earned an overall 79.8 grade for his 11 starts.
Chiefs News: Re-Signing Donovan Smith Remains an Option
GettyFormer Chiefs offensive tackle Donovan Smith on February 09, 2024 in Henderson, Nevada.
While Smith missed a slew of games due to a neck injury last season, ESPN expert Bill Barnwell says that's not the primary reason the experienced player is still not signed with a team.
“Penalties," Barnwell stated.
“Smith has 29 penalties over the last four seasons, which puts him tied for the third-highest number among all players. The player with the highest number of penalties is former Chiefs teammate and fellow tackle Jawaan Taylor, so this shows that penalties alone don't prevent players from winning a Super Bowl. Smith is 30 years old and missed the final five games of the regular season due to a neck injury, but he returned in the postseason. This may raise some concerns about his medical condition.
Taylor, who inked a four-year $80 million deal with the Chiefs in March of last year, ended the 2023 season as the offensive lineman with the most penalties in the league.
Kansas City secured Smith with a one-year, $3 million contract in May. If the Chiefs don’t choose an offensive tackle in the draft or find another experienced player they like, re-signing Smith could be their backup plan.
