From protecting one future Hall of Famer to another. That's the current arc of offensive lineman Donovan Smith, who goes from blocking pass rushers for Tom Brady in Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform to being part of the Kansas City Chiefs' pass protection unit in front of superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes after agreeing to a deal with the reigning Super Bowl champions.
“Veteran OT Donovan Smith is signing with the #Chiefs on a one-year deal worth up to $9 million, per source,” Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports.
With Donovan Smith arriving in Kansas City, it can be assumed that Jawaan Taylor will not have to worry about playing left tackle, with Smith expected to play that role. Taylor has almost exclusively played right tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars before coming over this offseason to the Chiefs.
Donovan Smith played and started in 13 games for the Buccaneers in the 2022 NFL season and received an overall grade of 58.1 from Pro Football Focus for his work on the offensive line during that campaign. He was viewed as a more vital part of the Buccaneers' pass blocking than in run blocking, drawing a rating of 70.0 and 41.5 in those areas, respectively.
Smith, who surrendered six sacks across 908 total offensive snaps played in 2022, is hoping to contribute nicely to the Chiefs' offensive line that was largely responsible for Kansas City being second overall in the league last season in terms of offensive quarterback sack rate (3.68%).
Donovan Smith turned pro in 2015 when he was selected by the Buccaneers in the second round (34th overall) of that year's NFL Draft.
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