Arrowheadlines: The Chiefs’ offensive line ranked as the league’s best

The latest

Ranking all 32 RB1s heading into the 2022 NFL season: Christian McCaffrey lands at No. 10 | NFL.com

27 - Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Kansas City Chiefs · Year 3

2021 stats: 10 games | 119 att | 517 rush yds | 4.3 ypc | 4 rush TDs | 19 rec | 129 rec yds | 2 rec TDs

CEH has to show up in 2022. It’s plain and simple. He averaged 113.7 scrimmage yards per game in his first six career games ... but just 62.6 scrimmage yards per game in his last 17. The Chiefs need to lean more on the run and get efficient carries from their backs to add more balance to their pass-happy offense. Edwards-Helaire needs to take advantage of his opportunities — especially with hungry newcomer Ronald Jones II joining the unit — and stay healthy and available for a full season.

Projecting the NFL’s best and worst offensive lines: Ranking all 32 teams’ pass and run block win rates for 2022 | ESPN

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Projected starters: Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Andrew Wylie

Predicted pass block rank: No. 1

Predicted run block rank: No. 5

It’s hard to imagine an investment in the offensive line going much better than what the Chiefs did a year ago. That’s most notable on the interior, where they drafted or signed the No. 1 center in pass block win rate in Humphrey and Nos. 1 and 2 guards in Thuney and Smith. They were home run moves and particularly remarkable considering Smith was a sixth-round pick.

Chiefs Finalize Preseason Television Crew and Announce the Return of Chiefs Radio Network Team for 2022 | The Mothership

Chiefs Preseason Television

Chiefs Preseason Television will feature NFL Network anchor Ari Wolfe as the play-by-play announcer for the third season in 2022. Former Pro Bowl quarterback and NFL on CBS analyst Trent Green returns to the booth for his 12th season as the preseason crew’s color commentator. Joining Wolfe and Green for her first year as sideline reporter for the Chiefs Preseason Television team is Kimmi Chex, a Kansas City, Missouri, native and on-air host and personality for NFL Media. Chiefs Senior Reporter Matt McMullen is entering his second season delivering sideline features and reports for the preseason broadcasts. Produced by 65 Toss Power Trap Productions, all three of the club’s preseason games will air locally on KSHB.

Andy Reid says Josh Gordon is working hard amid Chiefs’ WR competition | Chiefs Wire

Gordon has been a top target for most of his career, but after a subpar 2021 season, he will be forced to push for a roster spot if he’s to extend his career in Kansas City. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid addressed Gordon’s progress at training camp during Wednesday’s post-practice press conference.

“Josh has got a great attitude, and he’s working hard,” said Reid. “Yeah, there’s competition; I mean, they are all competing. One day he’s working with the one’s; the next day, with the twos, threes. Trying to get him as many reps a week (and) can still look at the other guys too. It’s a little bit of a juggling act, but he’s doing a nice job. Working very hard.”

Around the NFL

Does Aaron Rodgers plan to play until he’s 45 like Tom Brady? ‘No, I don’t’ | NFL.com

However, Rodgers has put to bed any uncertainty in regard to him playing in the 2028 season.

With Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady turning 45 this week, Rodgers was asked if he saw himself playing until he was 45.

“No, I don’t,” Rodgers smiled as he shook his head from side to side when speaking to reporters Thursday, “but happy birthday, Tom.”

Can New Blood Revitalize Brandon Staley’s Defense in Los Angeles? | The Ringer

Star power wasn’t the issue. Defensive end Joey Bosa and safety Derwin James, two of the NFL’s best players at their respective positions, each made the Pro Bowl, but the Chargers struggled to stop just about everybody, finishing 24th in EPA per play allowed by the end of the season. The problem was a lack of proven NFL talent surrounding Bosa and James, so Staley, in his second offseason, and longtime general manager Tom Telesco prioritized adding not just better players, but players who would also be a better fit for Staley’s defense, which relies heavily on two high safeties and complex pass coverage schemes. That means, however, there’s often one fewer defender in the box devoted to stopping the run. Staley isn’t going to abandon his core defensive principles to load up the box, so the answer has to be more talented interior players.

“All those guys that we acquired through trade or free agency, those guys are proven NFL players,” Staley said last Friday. “As it relates to what I expect from them, I expect us to play team defense. Last year, that was a weakness of our football team. And I don’t expect that to be the case [this year]. That’s why all of those guys are here.”

New York Jets plan Week 3 tribute to Ukraine to raise awareness for relief efforts | NFL.com

For the Jets, though, Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine and the war that has followed ever since has never been fully out of mind. Suzanne Johnson, the wife of team owner Woody Johnson, is the daughter of a Ukrainian immigrant father and a first generation Ukrainian-American mother and grew up in the Ukrainian enclave of New York’s Greenwich Village.

Suzanne is spearheading efforts to get help to the millions of refugees who have fled the fighting — the Jets are donating $1 million to Ukraine aid efforts, which is being divided into $100,000 chunks to organizations that are making an impact in the region. Johnson is also worried that Ukraine will slip from the headlines as war fatigue sets in and Americans turn their attention to other issues. So the Jets sought permission from the NFL for an unusual tribute.

On Sept. 25, for their Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Jets will wear a decal of the Ukrainian flag on their helmets and the flag will be painted in the end zones of MetLife Stadium. The Johnson family came up with the rare idea to honor another country during an NFL game.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Envisioning what the Chiefs’ pass rush could look like in 2022

Defensive end Frank Clark

Clark is the experienced leader of the defensive end group, meaning he’ll likely lead the defensive end position in snaps. On passing downs, it will be his speed off the ball that will be his biggest asset.

When Clark is at his best, it’s because he can explode off the snap and earn that step on the offensive tackle as he drops in his pass set. The more pressure Clark can put on tackles to get depth in their drop, the more they’ll be vulnerable to inside counter moves. At this point in his career, Clark has to win with finesse; winning with power is solely set up by speed.

One of the best ways to take advantage of Clark’s burst and quickness — something he has worked to improve this offseason — is using him on Tex stunts, a term for Tackle/End twists.

The interior rusher towards Clark’s side would penetrate the guard’s outside shoulder to the offensive tackle’s inside shoulder, which gives a seam to his inside so that Clark would loop behind him. The faster the end can get to the interior seam, the more likely he will get through free.

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