OTOH, at some point, you have to quit wasting time and find someone serviceable @ G and exceptional at your two tackle spots. You can go journeyman at one or even both tackle spots, if you’re bringing in big TEs to side ‘em, but it seems pretty clear that Haley views TE as a skill position, and there’s good reason to think that way. A TE in the pattern occupies one, maybe two (maybe three) defenders, whereas a TE against a big OLB or DE (especially our TEs) is a likely fail in pass protection. So it really looks to me like Haley would want a dominant right tackle to complement Albert on the left (and maybe even challenge him for LT).

But I don’t think it’s about contract leverage, at all, SDChief. Having a plan B, though, seems right in the strike-zone. KC has a large number of medium-to-low-paid journeymen in there, with lots of potential, but no firm attachment to any one of ‘em. I think the deal with Wade Smith was that he didn’t grade significantly higher than the bunch of no-names they already had, and he was probably one who would command more dollars for more minutes served (totally un-fact-checked, but in line with his contract ending).

Maybe not a world-beater, and maybe not ‘til the end of any 3-year deal, but he was in the middle of some pretty good O-Lines, both in KC and in Denver. I don’t think Denver’s fail on OL last season was the fault of the C, but the result of injuries to Gs, injuries that persisted beyond the G’s return to the playing field.

These modest moves early really seem to open things up for the Chiefs to follow the value, rather than the need.

Playing right guard in a scheme that mixes zone and man-to-man protections. Let him use his feet and technique instead of letting him screw up or get blown up.