Feb 4, 2021; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Donovan Smith (76) against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Is a Bounce-Back Year in the Cards for KC Chiefs' Donovan Smith?
This season, the Kansas City Chiefs will have two new starting offensive tackles. The team went out on the first day of free agency and spent big money on Jawaan Taylor to play one of the tackle positions, then Kansas City signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Donovan Smith shortly after the draft.
At first, it was unclear what the alignment would be regarding the Chiefs' starting offensive line. However, during OTAs, Andy Reid clarified that the current plan is to start Smith on the left and Taylor on the right.
Smith being announced as the plan at left tackle concerned some Chiefs fans. His 2022 campaign was very rough, struggling with penalty problems. The former Buccaneer had the most penalties enforced against him since his second year in the league. These penalties started to rack up as he got later into the season, showing some signs of physical deterioration.
In one of his first press conferences as a Chief, Smith explained that he did deal with an elbow and a foot issue throughout the entirety of the season. That may have contributed to the struggles he had during the 2022 season.
Nov 12, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Donovan Smith (76) against the New York Jets at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
The injury pile-up may be a concern as Smith enters the 2023 season, also being on the wrong side of 30. However, the silver lining is that he never missed more than one game in any season before last year, so it could be a one-off for his career. That has yet to be determined, though.
In 2021, when Smith was presumably healthy, he had the best year of his career. He played in all 17 games, giving up only one sack and allowing the least amount of pressures for his career. If Smith can return to that form, the Chiefs get an upgrade at left tackle. The major question is can he, but does he even need to be an upgrade?
According to Pro Football Focus, in the 2022 season (regular season and playoffs) Smith gave up a pressure every 28.3 snaps. Orlando Brown Jr., Kansas City's 2022 starting left tackle, gave up a pressure every 22.8 snaps. Lowering the pressure rate Patrick Mahomes sees, even by a slight margin, would help the Chiefs' dynamic offense. While Smith had the advantage in pass protection, his run blocking was drastically worse, which may have been a cause of the injuries. With that said, most fans would take an upgrade in pass protection with a drop-off in the run game because of the structure of the offense.
One question mark that will be interesting to follow is the transition from Tom Brady as the quarterback to Mahomes. Historically, Brady has one of, if not the lowest, snap-to-throw times in the NFL. The quick nature he gets the ball out with helps alleviate some pressure off his tackles. While Mahomes doesn't hold on to the ball for a crazy amount of time, he still holds onto the ball longer than Brady and will try to extend plays when needed. The longer Mahomes holds on to the ball could cause Smith to become more susceptible to the holding penalties that plagued him during the 2022 season.
At the end of the day, offensive line coach Andy Heck will put the five best players on the field. If Smith holds onto that spot during training camp, fans should have faith in what the coaching staff sees and believes in. Smith has been one of the better pass-protecting left tackles since he came into the league. He's never been a mauler in the run game, but he is sufficient enough.
Overcoming the injuries Smith fought through last year and playing at a consistent level will be key for this season. Kansas City has Pro Bowl-caliber players at all of the other offensive line positions, so the opposing defense will focus on trying to attack him. The Chiefs will be able to send help his way as needed, something that he hasn't seen much of during his career because of the talent across the rest of the offensive line. To top it all off, an incentive-based contract may have Smith playing his best ball as he chases after another Super Bowl ring and another payday.
