I can't really understand how people are in here bitching that they might want to keep Smith. We don't even know if this is true or not, and even if it is, they are still well aware they need a left tackle. I don't really care if they end up paying every goddamn starting lineman on this roster $20+ million per year. If that's what it takes to keep Mahomes upright, then go do it. It's not my problem to make the cap work, that's up to my main man, Brad Vulcan! [Reply]
Originally Posted by TRR:
Veach knows what Trey is and isn't worth. They have a deal that makes sense, and won't handicap them in free agency. Veach knows LT is the LARGEST problem to solve. And as said in other threads, KC's cap situation in 2026 looks to be very favorable.
Maybe Smith is a guy that's willing to take a longer deal, with a cap friendly hit in 2025 to stay home. You just never know. Not every player likes to uproot and leave for a sub .500 team...even if the dollars are better.
Smith won't take a deal less than Creed got -- They see themselves as a matched set and Smith plays a position that gets paid more.
And giving him even what Creed got would just be foolish as hell. [Reply]
Originally Posted by RunKC:
Yup this is happening. And I would take overpaying Trey Smith instead of Nick fucking Bolton any day without blinking.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach says this is a deep running back class, but adds: "In general, I think it's more of a defensive draft." Mentioned the defensive line and linebacker groups as deep.
Bolton is much MUCH more important to our defense than Smith is to our offense.
Bolton's a massive reason why our run defense has improved over the last several years to the point where we essentially removed Saquon Barkley from the game in the SB (and Bolton was fine in coverage as well in that game).
Meanwhile our running game is a bag of smashed assholes on offense.
With Bolton heading our run defense, it was very good. And the pass defense was fine despite his shortcomings there.
With Smith heading our run offense, it sucked ass and the passing game struggled due to Smith's shortcomings.
I'd pay Bolton 100 times out of 100 over Smith. I don't even think it's a close call. [Reply]
Originally Posted by RunKC:
Yup this is happening. And I would take overpaying Trey Smith instead of Nick fucking Bolton any day without blinking.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach says this is a deep running back class, but adds: "In general, I think it's more of a defensive draft." Mentioned the defensive line and linebacker groups as deep.
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
That's reactive roster building. "Playing scared" so to speak.
It's an awful, awful plan.
"Well it might be hard to find a better solution at LT so lets just bring back a similar OL but make it a LOT more expensive..."
That cannot be the plan.
Because frankly, Smith in a vacuum wasn't worth the salary he'll command. He just wasn't that good this year. A top 15 guard, almost certainly. He MIGHT be one of the 20-25 best pass-blocking OGs in football.
And we couldn't run the ball for shit with him, so I'm not sure he moves the needle as much as we insist he does in the running game.
Set aside any cap considerations for a moment and just look at the player and the cost -- it's simply a bad decision. You don't pay top of the market money for a 2nd tier position and a guy who's -- generously -- top 10 there but with clear holes in his game (that happen to align really poorly with what we want to do).
The Chiefs shouldn't bring him back.
And the area where this team has gotten itself in the most trouble is with its own guys. Mostly they've been veterans they refuse to cut bait on (Sorensen, Watkins, Clark) but this would be similar. They cannot let inertia win here. If Trey Smith were a free agent from the Vikings looking for this contract, there's simply no way we'd give it to him.
And there's ZERO chance anyone here would support doing so or "see the logic in it".
This is a really bad decision.
I don't trust the reporting for that reason. That or it is little more than a PR play to lessen the sting if/when he leaves.
100% Agree. Bringing Smith back for what he's going to cost is foolish. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
You've got it completely backwards. I think the Super Bowl broke you.
You yourself have agreed that overpaying Nick Bolton is not a smart move.
There is no universe where people can really think that a decent functional G getting overpaid is worse than a 2 down LB getting overpaid, especially when you have Mahomes. That logic cannot add up here.
Bolton is very replaceable. We actually lost Bolton for half the year in 2023 and the defense didn’t fall apart. Tranquill did a fine job filling his spot.
Bolton is slow, he’s a liability in coverage and he’s not worth anywhere near what he’s asking for.
Also the “running game was shit this year” argument is bizarre. You’re telling me 29 year old Kareem Hunt who was as explosive as Derrick Nnadi didn’t have explosive runs? He was washed. There was no explosion there anymore. And of course Pacheco wasn’t this year bc he broke his leg. He wasn’t the same after that injury.
Just last year the running game was not this major problem. It was fine. Pacheco had many explosive runs and 4.6 YPC.
Originally Posted by RunKC:
Also the “running game was shit this year” argument is bizarre. You’re telling me 29 year old Kareem Hunt who was as explosive as Derrick Nnadi didn’t have explosive runs? He was washed. There was no explosion there anymore. And of course Pacheco wasn’t this year bc he broke his leg. He wasn’t the same after that injury.
Just last year the running game was not this major problem. It was fine. Pacheco had many explosive runs and 4.6 YPC.
Oh.
So it was the RB that made the running game and Smith was just along for the ride?
I listened to 41 is the mic and Nick Jacobs thinks they should keep Smith even if it means cutting Thuney because "hey keep the younger player" [Reply]