There is no doubt that Patrick Mahomes saw both veterans battling through injury for Super Bowl 55. The Buccaneers cost the Chiefs offense for a 31–9 loss. Now he has to get into the habit of playing without former pro bowler Eric Fisher and former All-Pro Mitchell Schwartz on a regular basis starting in 2021.
Salary cap-strapped Kansas City needed to cut both Fisher and Schwartz on Thursday for a combined required savings of $ 30 million. Along with aging, the ailing player – Fisher 30, Schwartz will turn 32 in June – the Chiefs were probably already thinking of an overhaul for Mahomes pass protection. Now GM Brett Veitch and coach Andy Reid are under a lot of pressure to tackle the team’s highest top priority.
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The guards were already all free agents to deal with Kelechi Osemale, Mike Rimmers and center Austin Reiter and Daniel Kilgore before Fisher and Schwartz were released. He leaves the Chief with a familiar line solution – at right guard, where Drs. Laurent DuVernay-Tariff is expected to return after being ruled out for the 2020 season.
Heads do not have the freedom to remain active in free agency, either keeping their players or adding veterans from other teams. 2021 will make the NFL Draft important in giving Mahomes the new help he needs on the offensive line.
He has some previous recent picks to help, third-rounder Lucas Niang in 2020 and 2019 seventh-rounder Nick Allegretti. But otherwise, the majors not only have some early fill voids, but they also need to recoup the major depth that helped without Duvarne-Tardif and Schwarz last season.
As the Super Bowl runner-up, the majors are ranked No. 31 overall. He has seven more pix: no. 63, 95, 137, 145, 176, 182 and 259. Tackles and guards need to be addressed several times. Sammy Watkins and DeMarcus Robinson also unconditionally found another priority behind Tyrick Hill and Maykol Hardman.
The strength and continuity at the front is a big reason why the Chiefs took the second tier with the Mahomes after the second season of their MVP breakout in 2019, a constantly explosive offense under Reed. With his big contract from last season, an essential youth movement was how much Fisher and Schwartz were making.
The chiefs have intensified that need and with more AFC contenders such as Bill, Ravens and Brown, they are taking the right steps to support Mahomes. Otherwise, the Bucs would not be the only team that followed him in big games in 2021 and followed him in mistakes.
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