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Kansas City Chiefs: Ben Grubbs a big key for offense

By Kevin Parvizi

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The Kansas City Chiefs look like a playoff team on paper after narrowly missing out on the postseason in 2014, as they clearly missed the likes of Eric Berry, Mike DeVito, and star linebacker Derrick Johnson. Although Dontari Poe and Sean Smith will miss some time to start the year, a defense that was second in the league in scoring looks much better off in 2015 with the trio in the previous sentence back.

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But the biggest reasons for optimism in Kansas City are the improvements made on the offensive side of the ball, and no move was bigger than signing Jeremy Maclin to a big-money contract. The Chiefs took full advantage of the Philadelphia Eagles inability to sign arguably (Fletcher Cox deserves some cred here) their most valuable player from the 2014 season, and they paired him with an extremely athletic, high-upside receiver in Chris Conley. Speaking of high upside, Travis Kelce has one of the highest ceilings of any pass-catcher around the league.

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For the Chiefs offense to realize its potential with the “backfield” duo of Alex Smith and Jamaal Charles still firmly entrenched, we all know that the offensive line will have to answer some serious questions about their quality. John Dorsey and Andy Reid understood the Chiefs desperate need to add help on the interior, and they achieved that by making three key additions inside (Ben Grubbs, Paul Fanaika, and rookie Mitch Morse).

Eric Fisher‘s third season in the league will help define how good the Chiefs line is in 2015, but there’s an argument to be made that Grubbs could be even more important to the offense. After all, he was the team’s second-biggest offseason acquisition behind Maclin, as Grubbs is a Pro Bowl-caliber guard at his best, which is why the team was willing to send a fifth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for him.

The Saints were willing to part ways with the 31-year-old veteran after he had a surprisingly poor season and was part of the organization’s woes last season. Grubbs, Jahri Evans, and Tim Lelito failed to adequately protect Drew Brees, who faced far too much interior pressure, and it’s quick pressure from the inside that is most debilitating to quarterbacks and the overall rhythm of the passing game.

Although Smith did a great job of getting the ball out of there and has an excellent combination of accuracy and decision-making, he can join Charles as two key players on the Chiefs who understand how valuable it is to have good blockers at the heart of the offensive line.

In the bottom-half of Pro Football Focus’s Pass Blocking Efficiency among guards out of 59 qualifiers, Ben Grubbs clearly wasn’t a “good blocker” last year and seemed like a liability in the passing and running game. But in 2013, Grubbs was one of the best players at the position, and, in fact, he’s generally been a high-caliber starting guard throughout his career.

To wit, Grubbs made the second Pro Bowl of his career in 2013, as he was 14th in Pass Blocking Efficiency and delivered some solid run blocking. His lack of weaknesses in 2013 are a sign of what’s to come, because a full career of success on Grubbs’s part is more indicative of his future value than one down year. 31-year-old guards generally aren’t declining players either, so I would be surprised if the Chiefs identification of Grubbs as a clear bounce-back candidate proves to be a mistake on their part.

It’s clear that the Kansas City Chiefs are bullish on Grubbs’s ability to make a big impact up front, because they are paying their new starting left guard $24 million over four seasons with $8 million in guaranteed money with the potential for $3 million more in guaranteed cash if he’s on the 90-man roster in March 2017.

That’s not a massive commitment on the Chiefs part, but it is a more significant investment than shipping out a fifth-round pick to the Saints for him. Perhaps the Saints willingness to deal him can be seen as a red flag, but, for his part, Grubbs sounded quite confident that he played at a high level in 2014.

The pressures surrendered paint a different picture of his play in 2014, but Grubbs was better than interior teammates Lelito and Evans last season, as those two were among the worst at their positions in that season. The Chiefs should receive better play out of expected starter Eric Kush (battling the rookie Morse) and solid right guard Jeff Allen, so that bodes well for Grubbs.

Dec 21, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) throws a pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Heinz Field. The Steelers won the game, 20-12. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive tackle could still be a problem spot for the Chiefs if Fisher doesn’t take even bigger steps forward after making small strides as a sophomore, but there’s hope yet for the former No. 1 overall pick. What we do know is that Grubbs has played at a high level before (as recently as 2013), and it would be a shock for him to have two repeat down years.

If Grubbs plays like he did last season, then the Chiefs could be in trouble up front. But if he plays like he did from 2011-2013, then this offensive line could be in business. They now have a durable veteran who has the ability to be one of the ten best guards in the league, and they’ve expressed plenty of confidence in him by giving him an upgraded deal following the trade.

With Allen back from an injury and Kush making strides as a rising player at training camp, Grubbs looks like the final piece who can turn the Chiefs interior line from a weakness into a strength. The Chiefs aggressive offseason to upgrade the interior OL looks to be paying off, and Grubbs could help everything fall into place for an offense that should be better than some think.

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