THE Kansas City Chiefs are close to making a change on their offensive line to protect Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes has dealt with issues at left tackle all season, and he could finally be getting some help at the position.
During the Chiefs’ close win over the Las Vegas Raiders last week, Mahomes had issues with the offensive line giving him time.
At one point in the fourth quarter, left tackle Wanya Morris completely whiffed on a block, allowing a defender a clear lane to sack Mahomes.
He was clearly frustrated with the error and was seen on the broadcast slamming the ball in anger.
Morris was benched after that play for Joe Thuney, but he could also be replaced by next week.
Offensive tackle DJ Humphries could return for the Chiefs’ Week 14 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“We’ll work him in and see how he feels, that’s the main thing. He hadn’t played in a while, so I just want to make sure he’s in a good position,” Reid told reporters.
“He did a nice job last week working in there, and we’ll do a little bit more with him this week.”
The Chiefs signed Humphries last month during his recovery from a significant knee injury sustained in January while he was playing for the Arizona Cardinals.
“Listen, the last week was a short week, so we didn’t have a whole lot of time for the fast part of the game, practices,” Reid said.
“I’ll have a better idea as we go, and he’ll have a better idea of how he feels. Then we can proceed from there and see how it all works out.”
Reid shared that they’re going to proceed with caution with Humphries, ensuring that he is fully healthy before hitting the field.
If he looks ready to go, then the Chiefs will plug him into the lineup.
“I don’t think that’s probably fair to DJ right now, just him coming off this offseason,” Reid said.
“I think we just play it by ear as we go, and if he feels OK, then we give him an opportunity.
“If it’s not where it needs to be, then you don’t, so we’ll just see how it goes.”
There are still five games left in the season, but Mahomes has already been sacked 32 times, the most in his career.
That number is tied for seventh in the league, showing how glaring the issues at the offensive line are for the Chiefs.
If Humphries can help lower Mahomes’ 2.6 sacks per game, he will be extremely valuable to the team.
