Patrick Mahomes and Orlando Brown Jr. on the QB/LT Relationship and What's Next
When the Kansas City Chiefs completely overhauled their offensive line ahead of the 2021 season, the team's predominant offseason storyline was set in stone. How would this new-look unit protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and how long would it take for the line to reach its peak?
Over the course of training camp and the preseason, Mahomes and his new left tackle, Orlando Brown Jr., often talked about learning each other's tendencies and being able to communicate about what they needed to fine-tune as they adjusted to the other's playing style. With Brown coming to KC from Lamar Jackson's Baltimore Ravens and with Mahomes transitioning from the more finesse Eric Fisher at left tackle, there was no doubt that the duo would have a bit of a learning curve as the season approached.
Now, with one game in the books and a couple of days to review the tape, I asked Mahomes and Brown what they thought of their regular-season debut, their communication early on, and where they can grow from here.
"To the first part of your question, the communication, I thought we did really, really well especially — we were at home, but it was still loud," Mahomes said on Wednesday. "Guys got in and out of the huddle, we were able to get the plays, get the checks at the line of scrimmage and do what we needed to do."
Brown said he was similarly pleased with the communication with Mahomes, noting that it's an ongoing process with room to improve.
"There’s a ton, personally for me, as an individual, to continue working on fundamentally, but me and Pat are always going to communicate, making sure me and him are on the same page, the offensive line is always on the same page and just making sure he’s as comfortable as possible in the heat of the moment," Brown said.
Despite the fact that Mahomes's peers (and much of the NFL world) rank him as the top player in the sport, he also detailed one of his long-lasting tendencies that he's often mentioned as a work-in-progress — and one that directly impacts his offensive line.
"With them and the things we can improve on, I've got to work on just the depth of my drop, it’s something I always have to work on, just not fading back too much because those guys up front were being firm, and they were washing around so if I can get better at that I’m sure it’ll help everybody," Mahomes continued.
To be fair, some of the most jaw-dropping Mahomes highlights start with him bailing out through the back of the pocket before throwing a dart on the run, but it can occasionally make things more difficult for offensive tackles who have their backs to the quarterback. Specifically against the Browns, as Mahomes noted, Brown and right tackle Lucas Niang often ran Cleveland pass-rushers on a path to be pushed behind Mahomes, giving him more time to step up in the pocket and survey the field.
From Brown's perspective on where the unit can continue to improve, he focused on one core starting point: playing quarterback is hard, and it's the o-line's job to make it easier for Mahomes to thrive.
"You know, as a quarterback, it can be tough when you’ve got people in your face or you’re having to throw off of different spots and all of those different things," Brown said. "Obviously, he's more than capable of that, but that’s why I'm here. That’s why some of us are here, these new guys are here, so he’s a lot more comfortable just throwing off of one spot specifically, and we're working on a ton of different things. We're working and figuring things out, but like I said, I’ve just got to play better, flat out."
