The recipe to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs is the same as it was for every great quarterback in NFL history: The defense must get pressure on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes with a four-man rush.
Despite his ability to scramble and create positive yards on broken plays, Mahomes is particularly susceptible to pressure. When a defense rattles him, the three-time Super Bowl champion reverts back to the flaws that have haunted him since his collegiate days: poor footwork, a lack of pocket presence and ill-advised decision-making.
That was clear in Super Bowl LV, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers undressed Kansas City’s offense. The Philadelphia Eagles followed a similar formula when they dominated Kansas City’s offense in Super Bowl LIX. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach revamped the offensive line following their last Super Bowl loss, and he’s attempting to do the same this offseason.
In a recent mock draft by ESPN’s Mel Kiper, the Chiefs were projected to select Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Simmons was considered to be one of the top offensive tackle prospects in this year’s draft class, but his stock fell after he suffered a knee injury last October. He gave up just one sack over 19 career starts at left tackle and didn’t allow a single pressure in six games before the injury last season.
The Chiefs signed left tackle Jaylon Moore in free agency and they drafted a left tackle in the second round of last year’s draft, but it’s clear they could still use some help. Despite Kansas City’s nearly unblemished record, their offensive line woes were visible throughout the season.
In particular, the Chiefs struggled to find an adequate blindside protector. Second-year left tackle Wanya Morris and rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia both struggled early in the year, and the Chiefs attempted to find a solution by signing veteran left tackle D.J. Humphries from free agency. When that experiment failed, the Chiefs moved All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney to the blindside position and elevated reserve guard Mike Caliendo to starting left guard. That worked until it didn’t — Philadelphia’s defensive front imposed their will on Kansas City’s offensive line on the biggest stage.
The Chiefs’ offensive line is currently accounting for $80.6 million in cap space, per Spotrac. That’s approximately 27.4 percent of the team’s total salary cap space, second-most in the league. Adding talented players on rookie contracts could help offset the monster contracts of center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith.
