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by Josh Fann
| April 1, 2021
The K.C. Chiefs made yet another move in free
agency this past Tuesday when they signed former Los Angeles Rams center Austin Blythe to a
one-year deal. At this point in free agency, most moves are going to be
considered small ones and the signing of Blythe is no exception. Any time you
sign a veteran player this late into free agency to a one-year deal, they’re
expected to be a bridge player and Blythe fits that description as well.
However the “small signing” of Blythe actually fixes a major problem for Kansas City.
Before getting into
anything about Blythe, it’s
important to note that he appears to be the Chiefs starting center,
meaning Austin Reiter is not coming back. Personally, I feel this is
an upgrade. Many analysts and fans alike went on about the fact that
Reiter didn’t allow a sack last year and is a solid starter, but the truth is,
he really only held up in pass-protection because of Patrick Mahomes’ ability
to move and escape. Reiter wasn’t necessarily good at moving guys around, which
was why he struggled as a run-blocker. That was an issue. The Chiefs spent a
first round pick on a running back, so it would only make sense for the Chiefs
to do their best to actually provide a competent line for Clyde
Edwards-Helaire. The Chiefs moving on from Reiter shouldn’t make anyone upset.
So, in comes Austin Blythe. Blythe spent the past four seasons with the Rams
after originally being drafted in the 7th round by the Indianapolis Colts in
the 2016 NFL Draft and spending a season there. Blythe didn’t do much with the
Colts, but he has
blossomed with the Rams, starting 46 games over the past 3 seasons, and showing
off his versatility by playing at both guard and center.
This past
season for the Rams, Blythe was actually ranked in the top ten in run-block win
rate among centers. In addition, Blythe posted a 73.2 overall run-blocking
grade according to PFF and helped lead a top ten rushing offense with
Los Angeles. Lastly, Blythe only committed 1 penalty in we’ll over 1,000 snaps
in 2020. This should be music to Chiefs fans’ ears because what this team
really needed was a center like Blythe.
We
already mentioned the Chiefs investing in a running back last year in
Edwards-Helaire, so it would only make sense if they also invested in the
offensive line to maximize his potential. Blythe is a step in the right
direction, and I would imagine Edwards-Helaire was the one most excited about
yesterday’s news. Last year, the Chiefs interior offensive line ranked dead
last in the league in run-block win rate and adding a top ten center in that
aspect is nothing but a win. There were many situations last year in which the
Chiefs tried to go with a power run up the middle or needed that extra push on
3rd or 4th-and-short, but Reiter just couldn’t give it to them. Blythe can,
which should extend many drives. He should also be able to carve big holes for
Chiefs running backs along with the rest of the interior line. Oh yeah, and
those infamous 2nd-and-long runs Andy Reid loves to do should see a lot more
success as well.
It is worth noting that Blythe isn’t among the best
pass-protecting centers in the league and actually posted a very low 52.5
pass-blocking grade from PFF last season. At the same time, it’s always
difficult to take PFF grades at face value and preach them as gospel but in the
end they still are a good metric. They just don’t take into account much of the
context that goes into a player’s grade. For example, people who might point
out Austin Reiter is a good pass-blocker because PFF said so may not also
consider what we mentioned earlier in that Reiter isn’t giving up much pressure
because Mahomes is so good at moving around to where Reiter isn’t getting
dinged for anything.
The fact Blythe will likely playing with a very good guard
rotation that includes Joe Thuney, Kyle Long, and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif on
either side of him should help Blythe in pass-protection a lot as well as the
benefit of playing with the best quarterback in all of football in Mahomes.
Plus the Chiefs still have Nick Allegretti who may rotate at Center and provide
competition for Blythe.
The Chiefs’ signing of Blythe doesn’t necessarily eliminate the
possibility of K.C. drafting a center either, but for now, Blythe looks to be a nice player
who can bring that power run scheme ability to the Chiefs. With an interior
that looks like LDT, Blythe, and Joe Thuney, the Chiefs rushing attack should
take huge strides next season and Blythe solves a big problem for the Chiefs
that was their poor run-blocking from the middle of the line in 2020.
Edwards-Helaire has absolutely no excuse to not run for at least 1,000 yards
next year behind this current lineup assuming the Chiefs also draft their left
tackle of the future this April.
