The Kansas City Chiefs debuted a new starting offensive line on Monday against the Buffalo Bills and it was a smashing success, literally and figuratively.
After Kelechi Osemele suffered dual knee injuries and was placed on injured reserve the Chiefs inserted Mike Remmers into the starting lineup, but that change was expected. A back injury to Mitchell Schwartz forced Remmers to kick out to right tackle and second-year OL Nick Allegretti to come in at left guard.
The unexpected change to start the game came at the center position, with nine-year veteran Daniel Kilgore replacing the incumbent starter, Austin Reiter. Andy Reid initially said that Reiter was dealing with a tender knee, but Reiter played several snaps on special teams during the game, suggesting he was available to play in Week 6.
With a new challenge in Week 7, Andy Reid doesn’t anticipate Reiter returning to the lineup. In fact, he wouldn’t commit to making any changes to the offensive line.
“Well, it’ll probably be that way this week,” Reid told reporters on Wednesday. “But they’ll all be ready to go, and we’ll just see how it rolls. I thought the guys did a good job up front. I thought it was good aggressive football, and they did a nice job for the runners. The runners had space and utilized it with good vision and pressing the hole, doing all the fundamental things that they do, and it allowed them to have a good day.”
There’s more evidence that the change from Reiter to Kilgore could be permanent. First, the unofficial depth chart now lists Kilgore as the starter. Changes like that typically don’t happen when the original starter is still on the 53-man roster. The Chiefs also planned to make the switch, with Kilgore knowing he would get the start early at the onset of the week of practice.
“I found out the first of last week and I was prepared for that,” Kilgore told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s kind of my role coming in here. Once I found out, Patrick (Mahomes) and I went right to work. I felt like the communication built throughout the week. When it came game time on Monday night, we were ready to go.”
As for the success of the newly-formed offensive line, Kilgore credited the week of practice and the coaching staff.
“I think what worked well was our week of preparation,” Kilgore said. “You’re always prepared as offensive linemen to be able to step in. When I was told I was going to be starting, I was ready. When game time came around, Mike (Remmers) moved to right tackle and Nick (Allegretti) had to step in. I think the preparation, the testament to the coaches getting us prepared, I think that’s really what set the tone for the game.”
Kilgore hadn’t played in a game since Week 17 of the 2019 season, so he had to knock a bit of the rust off early on. Once he got his feet back under him, he went out there and just had fun — something that’s a common theme regarding how this team plays the game.
“It was really fun. It’s been awhile for me to play ball,” Kilgore said. “I came in late to training camp. To be able to get out there and play the first time and to be able to run the ball the way we did, it was really fun. It was great for the offensive line to be able to execute and for Clyde (Edwards-Helaire) to come in and make plays. I think he had 94 yards after contact I believe, so he had a huge part of it too, but it was really fun.”
Hopefully, Kilgore and the rest of the offensive line’s performance against the Bills won’t be a one-off scenario. They face a tough task as they prepare for a stout Broncos defensive line in Week 7.
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