In 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs are looking to try something a bit new: remain a Super Bowl contender while also building a sustainable core for the future.
Sure, Kansas City still signed multiple veteran free agents and will surely pick up a few more before all is said and done, as who wouldn't want to join a certified Super Bowl favorite and contribute to winning the biggest prize in the sport, especially if said player is near the end of their career? If a need comes up, Brett Veach will certainly make some calls, and a player with a Pro Bowl or two on their resume will inevitably arrive in Missouri in the pursuit of greatness.
But frankly, if the Chiefs can instead find the next Tyreek Hill, the next Travis Kelce, or even the new Creed Humphreys, who was a draft success story in 2021, it will allow Kansas City to remain competitive over Patrick Mahomes' prime without having to keep filling holes with short-term bandaids.
And yet, just because the Chiefs want to give big roles to young players doesn't necessarily mean it will work. No, if the team's current tandem doesn't look consistent enough to protect Mahomes' blindside, they would be wise to make another call to old pal Donovan Smith, who remains a free agent some five months removed from winning the Super Bowl.
Donovan Smith is a good safety blanket for the Kansas City Chiefs.
As things presently stand, the Chiefs are set to have Wanya Morris and Kingsley Suamataia compete for their left tackle spot, with the former a third round pick last year who logged 339 offensive snaps on the way to the Super Bowl while the latter came to the team as this year's second round pick out of BYU, bringing a strong frame and good athleticism to one of the most important positions on the team.
If one of the two works out, punching above their experience level to look like a true standout performer, then who knows, maybe the Chiefs will be good to go on Mahomes' blindside, but if they fail, or simply look like a downgrade from last year, well, the Chiefs would be wise to give Smith a call, as they simply can't afford to hope one of the performers can figure things out on the spot and elevate themselves to a high enough level to hold down the fort.
Is Smith perfect? No, there's a reason no other team signed him this offseason to a big deal after being let go by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but at this point, he's a known quantity at a position of question marks, which is what the Chiefs might end up needing, should he remain available into the fall.
The Kansas City Chiefs want to keep things in-house at left tackle.
Could the Chiefs ultimately turn to Smith if they need to at some point this season? Sure, but right now, Brett Veach wants to see what young stars like Xavier Worthy, Morris, and Suamataia bring to the table instead of turning to veterans who have contributed to the team in the past.
“I think we'll use this OTA period to kind of assess that. I think we feel good right now. I mean, look, a lot of these guys were playing college football last year. I think how they do here in the meetings and how they do with kind of absorbing the information, and can they translate it out on the field is a big deal. Now, listen, we don't have pads on. Some of it may tail into St. Joe and training camp,” Brett Veach told reporters via Arrowhead Report.
“But I think for right now, I think we're going to let these young guys go out there and see what they can do and how much they can absorb, and if we feel good about it, this will be kind of where we go from St. Joe and then we'll be able to adapt and adjust if needed. But I don't think anything would be imminent.”
If Worthy, Morris, and/or Suamataia can take things up a notch and look like legitimate players for the Chiefs this fall right out of the gate, it will make for a very smooth transition for a Kansas City team with sky-high aspirations, but enough talent at key positions to back it up. If they struggle, however, don't be surprised if names like Micole Hartman or Smith come up once more, as when you are this close to another Super Bowl, you simply can't let one or two players get in the way of that pursuit.
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