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14 minutes ago, Lamardirts said:

He'll end up being an upgrade but hopefully a mid-round rookie gem can take that job.   

If Humphrey is there in 2nd I think he should be the pick and I wouldn't mind giving up one of our 5ths to move up a few spots to grab him. If we stay put Myers seems to be getting good recognition lately and both could start right away.

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Kansas City Chiefs continue to reshape their offensive line, add center Austin Blythe, source says

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs filled another hole in their offensive line Tuesday, agreeing to terms on a one-year contract with center Austin Blythe, a source told ESPN.

Blythe, 28, started at center for each of the past three seasons for the Los Angeles Rams. Austin Reiter, the Chiefs' starting center in each of the past two seasons, is an unrestricted free agent.

The Chiefs have signed free-agent guards Joe Thuney and Kyle Long and re-signed tackle Mike Remmers. They also expect the returns of guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and tackle Lucas Niang after both players opted out of the 2020 season.

The Chiefs could have five different starting offensive linemen next season from last season's opener. They released tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher, and Reiter and guard Kelechi Osemele are free agents.

Guard Andrew Wylie returns, but he might have been pushed down the depth chart by the recent additions.

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4 things to know about new Chiefs C Austin Blythe

 
 
 
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The Kansas City Chiefs recently agreed to terms with free-agent C Austin Blythe on a one-year deal. After spending the past four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, Blythe will jump to the AFC and compete for a starting role. Here’s a quick look at four things the Chiefs Kingdom should know about their newest player:

 
 

Six picks shy of Mr. Irrelevant

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Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Blythe wasn’t exactly a high draft pick. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts at pick No. 248. That’s six spots shy of being Mr. Irrelevant, which is what we call the last man picked in the draft. This doesn’t mean that Blythe wasn’t a good prospect coming out of college, though.

Sure, Blythe was a bit undersized, but he was highly decorated for the Iowa Hawkeyes during his tenure. He started 49 of 50 games played during his career and was made a permanent team captain. In his senior year, he was one of three finalists for the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the top center in college football. Sometimes those are the types of intangibles that make you a solid NFL player regardless of your draft status.

A wrestling background

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AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

A lot of Blythe’s technique has been influenced by his background in wrestling. Blythe is known as one of the most dominant high school wrestlers in the state of Iowa, earning three heavyweight state wrestling titles for Williamsburg High School. He owns a 188-11 record with 146 pins, good for the fifth-most in state history as of a year ago.

“Everything in wrestling translates to football,” Blythe told USA TODAY’s Jori Epstein ahead of Super Bowl LIII. “Hand placement, leverage, keeping your elbows in, bending at the knees not the hips. All that stuff translates directly to offensive-line play.”

Blythe won’t be the only former wrestler on the team, as Nick Allegretti also has a wrestling background.

 

Versatility

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AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

Blythe played center for the Iowa Hawkeyes and nearly earned the highest possible award for that position. He played the center for the Colts when he was drafted and he started all 16 games at center for the Rams in 2020. It’s where he’s expected to play for the Chiefs, but it’s not the only position that he’s capable of playing.

When Los Angeles first inserted Blythe into the starting lineup he was playing the right guard position. He played so well that he earned the starting job, replacing troubled right guard Jamon Brown. In 2018, Blythe had one of his best professional seasons playing 1,073 snaps at right guard, allowing 30 pressures but no sacks on the season according to Pro Football Focus. If Kansas City finds themselves in another bind where they need to shuffle the offensive line, Blythe could be a valuable piece.

Sean McVay spoke highly of him prior to free agency

 
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Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Rams did a lot of shuffling on their offensive line in 2020 after a down year in 2019. Blythe seemed to be the one constant through it all and his head coach knew just how important he was to the success of their offense.

“He really has done a nice job,” McVay told reporters in February. “It’s funny that you mention that because we were talking amongst coaches and with Les (Snead) and his group over the last couple weeks. You talk about the importance of that center position, having the command and the capacity that you’re looking for because of the amount of responsibility that you put on that individual with where the communication starts and he and the quarterback working in unison. He did a great job. He’s definitely somebody that we appreciate and value.”

Unfortunately for McVay and the Rams, they couldn’t manage to retain Blythe. Now, he’ll be working in unison with the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. Hopefully, he leaves the same type of impression on his coaches in Kansas City.

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44 minutes ago, dhitter said:

Colts let him go and Rams let him walk. The ceiling is not too high with this kid but perhaps the floor isn't so low. Chiefs could still draft a center this year.

I am in agreement with those who say Mahomes makes Reiter's pass pro grades look better than they are.  He could do the same for this guy.

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7 hours ago, sith13 said:

I'm not sure how much they offered to keep him but probably wasn't high so he decided to try shining with Mahomes and hope for a decent FA deal in 2022.

Also he is from Iowa. His home town is about 5.5 hours from KC, so maybe he wanted to go back closer to family? 

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10 minutes ago, kkuenn said:

Also he is from Iowa. His home town is about 5.5 hours from KC, so maybe he wanted to go back closer to family? 

Could be, may not have been a huge one but proximity to family has always been a factor in the NFL. 

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4 minutes ago, sith13 said:

Could be, may not have been a huge one but proximity to family has always been a factor in the NFL. 

Midwest people are different. I know I could not wait to go back to raise a family and be closer to the family too. Good places in most of the Midwest for schools, crime rates etc. I love the values of it all. Going to retire though down south, probably east Texas area, hate the winters in Iowa.

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17 minutes ago, kkuenn said:

Midwest people are different. I know I could not wait to go back to raise a family and be closer to the family too. Good places in most of the Midwest for schools, crime rates etc. I love the values of it all. Going to retire though down south, probably east Texas area, hate the winters in Iowa.

Not sure about specific locations but isn't East Texas the opposite of retirement at this point with all the people flowing in?

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4 minutes ago, sith13 said:

Not sure about specific locations but isn't East Texas the opposite of retirement at this point with all the people flowing in?

naa, going to live outside the cities. Get my own pond or on a lake home. Fish, drink and be naked. If I need to go in the big city, I will be about an hour or more outside of it, so I can make a trip if need be. I want to live more of the country setting.

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1 hour ago, kkuenn said:

naa, going to live outside the cities. Get my own pond or on a lake home. Fish, drink and be naked. If I need to go in the big city, I will be about an hour or more outside of it, so I can make a trip if need be. I want to live more of the country setting.

I'm with you on that. That's my plan also, though the naked fishing never crossed my mind.

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