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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As an instance the scope of the rebuilding job on the offensive line, the Kansas City Chiefs in latest days have signed three free brokers, together with certainly one of their very own, and are getting ready for the return of two gamers who opted out of final season.
They usually nonetheless have work to do earlier than ending the job.
The Chiefs made overhauling their offensive line a precedence this offseason after quarterback Patrick Mahomes was consistently pressured by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the course of the Tremendous Bowl. The Chiefs have not wasted time, signing guards Joe Thuney and Kyle Long and re-signing Mike Remmers, who performed at each guard and deal with final season.
They nonetheless don’t have any apparent candidate to start out at left deal with and nobody with beginning expertise to start out at middle. Eric Fisher, the Chiefs’ longtime beginning left deal with, was lately launched after having surgical procedure for a torn Achilles tendon however might ultimately be re-signed.
The Chiefs do have greater than sufficient candidates to start out at guard, together with Thuney, Lengthy, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Andrew Wylie and Nick Allegretti. Duvernay-Tardif, a former starter, opted out final season due to COVID-19. Wylie and Allegretti have been the beginning guards for many of final season.
Lengthy and Thuney have performed their careers principally at guard, however Lengthy was a proper deal with for one season for the Chicago Bears, in 2015, and made the Professional Bowl that 12 months. Thuney stuffed in at middle final season for the New England Patriots.
Every mentioned he could be open to switching positions.
“I am snug with wherever on the offensive line,” Lengthy mentioned. “I’ve by no means performed middle. I am left-handed. I do not know many left-handed facilities, however I am open to studying something.”
Thuney mentioned, “I simply wish to assist the crew wherever I can, in any capability. I simply wish to contribute to profitable and that is actually my essential factor, so wherever that’s, that is high quality with me.”
The Chiefs of their free-agent seek for linemen have been as a lot in good gamers as positions. Thuney, who did not miss a begin in his 5 seasons with the Patriots, agreed to contract phrases with the Chiefs shortly after the negotiating interval started.
“Joe is a formidable participant,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid mentioned. “He is all the pieces you need in an offensive lineman together with his toughness and work ethic. He is additionally very clever and you may see that translate on the sector.”
Lengthy made the Professional Bowl in every of his first three NFL seasons with the Bears. He hasn’t performed a full season since 2015 due to accidents, and he mentioned he sat out final season to get his physique proper. All of the whereas, he was getting ready for his eventual return.
“It was an amazing alternative for me to regain bodily, psychological, emotional composure, get my ft again below me,” Lengthy mentioned.
“I knew straight away after I was let go in Chicago that I’d be again, and I wanted to do all the pieces in my energy to get myself again to the place I knew I might are available in and play the extent of soccer I do know I can play.”
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