The offensive line won’t have to change much in order to block for new Kansas City Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire according to RT Mitchell Schwartz.
During Friday’s media availability, Schwartz was asked about what he’d have to keep in mind in order to block for a smaller and shiftier RB like Edwards-Helaire. He’s blocked for a number of different running backs in Kansas City since his arrival in 2016, including Charcandrick West, Spencer Ware, Kareem Hunt, Damien Williams and others. As far as Schwartz is concerned, the offensive line won’t have to change what they’re doing no matter who is running the ball in 2020.
“You just kind of want to get the smallest opening you can and trust him to do the rest,” Schwartz said. “From our perspective, we don’t change what we’re doing. The kind of premium is on moving the line of scrimmage, and your run game, as far as the running back can get past the line of scrimmage is going to be the most beneficial. It’s going to pull the linebackers onto the o-line. If you look at the running back, if there’s penetration and he’s making a cut three yards in the backfield, it’s the timing of the play. Maybe the center, who is climbing up to the linebacker, he’s probably not going to be there yet because you know the linebacker is going to jump behind based on the cutback early, and then the center can’t get there and the play is completely dead. Whereas if we have a yard or two on the line of scrimmage, the running back can get right back behind there and the linebacker is kind of frozen, he’s stuck, he doesn’t know what to do. Then that brings the linebacker to us. So, that’s always the premium we’re thinking about.”
So long as the Chiefs’ offensive line can create movement, keep the timing of the play right and suck the linebackers in, Edwards-Helaire should be able to find success. That wasn’t always the case when the Schwartz and the rest of the offensive line tried to run block in 2019. There’s room for improvement this offseason as far as that is concerned.
Schwartz is confident that the coaching staff will get Edwards-Helaire prepared so he can properly synergize with the offensive line. He even believes that Edwards-Helaire’s natural ability has the chance to save the offensive line from some potential headaches.
“When you look at Deland [McCullough] and EB [Eric Bieniemy] and how they coach running backs, they coach them very hard, and that’s because it’s all interconnected,” Schwartz explained. “If you have a running back who kind of freelances and does his own things, things don’t mesh too well. It’s a really good harmony and it is nice to know if somebody gets cut loose, you throw that devastating spin move and jukes him out of his shoes and maybe he [Clyde Edwards-Helaire] can make us look good.”
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