Tag: mitchell schwartz

Blake Hance not certain to start at right tackle in Week 14 for Browns versus Ravens

Stefanski pressed pause on the assumption Hance would start Sunday but the options, internal or free agent, are pretty limited:

The Cleveland Browns get a quick turnaround in their rematch with the Baltimore Ravens. Fresh off their bye week, the Browns should be as healthy and prepared as possible for the game. Fresh off losing a close game to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where they lost another important player, the Ravens come into the game limping.

Cleveland isn’t totally healthy, although there is a chance they get LB Jacob Phillips back, going into the game either. During the two teams’ matchup in Week 12, right tackle Jack Conklin hurt his knee and was lost for the season.

Blake Hance, as he had done the previous weeks as Conklin was out, stepped in at right tackle and struggled. The Ravens attacked his side of the line regularly and the offense had a hard time getting things moving.

Despite the struggles, expectations were that Hance would start the rest of the year in Conklin’s place. During Monday’s press conference, head coach Kevin Stefanski put a pause on those expectations:

The logical replacement would be rookie James Hudson III but his showing earlier this season was even worse than Hance’s. Alex Taylor is on the team’s practice squad and could be brought up to start for this week as well.

Outside options are highly limited and unlikely. While former Browns tackle Mitchell Schwartz might be healthy enough to play, if the team was going in that direction they would have brought him (or another free agent) in during the bye week.

It is still likely that Hance would assume the role unless the team saw a lot of progression from Hudson. Taylor was cut earlier in the year by Cleveland and bounced around before returning to the practice squad. Elevating him to start in such an important game seems unlikely.

The Browns are currently favorites in Sunday’s rematch.

Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck oozes pride for rookie C Creed Humphrey’s performance

#Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck evoked former RT Mitchell Schwartz when talking about Creed Humphrey’s performance and football IQ. | from @TheJohnDillon

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Grasping for any bright spots to be found in their disappointing start to the 2021 season, the Kansas City Chiefs need to look no further than rookie Creed Humphrey’s outstanding performance in the early part of the season. He has served as an anchor on the team’s rebuilt offensive front, grading out as the best center in the league according to Pro Football Focus.

Offensive line coach Andy Heck gave Humphrey a glowing review in his comments to the media ahead of Thursday’s practice. He complimented every part of his skillset and remarking on how impressive his acclimation to the pro game has been.

“Creed (Humphrey) has done a great job,” Heck said. “I think one of the best things besides being a big, strong, physically talented guy is he’s very smart. He’s a smart football player, he’s a smart person and he’s got a high football IQ. So, he’s able to really take in a lot of information and he’s got it on the first shot. He’s got good vision.

“As you’re learning different coverages and different disguises and things like that, he’s able to take something you’re describing to him, picture it in his head and then recognize it when he sees it on film as opposed to many of us might need to have that described, see it on tape, see it in a walkthrough, miss it once in practice and then get it. He gets it right away and that really helps him play fast and strong quicker.”

Asked if he had ever seen the kind of breakout performances Humphrey has turned out in recent weeks, Heck put the rookie in some great company for a player whose meteoric rise is still gaining momentum.

“Sure,” He explained. “You take a guy like Mitch Schwartz, a lot of quarterbacks—I’ve been around some players—but it’s few and far between, and it’s definitely an A-plus strength of Creed’s.”

Still early in his Chiefs career, Humphrey is already becoming a fan favorite for his efforts to keep Patrick Mahomes on his feet on Sundays. With a few more solid performances in the coming weeks, Humphrey could find himself in contention for a Pro Bowl or All-Pro selection, even if the team around him continues to underperform.

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Mitchell Schwartz praises Chiefs RT Lucas Niang for executing his favorite technique

Former #Chiefs RT Mitchell Schwartz came away impressed with current #Chiefs RT Lucas Niang’s usage of his favorite technique in Week 2.

Former Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz had some high praise for the team’s new right tackle and his performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.

Lucas Niang had a solid Week 1 performance against the Cleveland Browns, but he posted a clean sheet against the Ravens in Week 2. Part of the reason he performed so well in Baltimore was his execution of the Hamilton technique against Ravens defenders. If you’ve followed Schwartz on Twitter, you’ll know that the Hamilton is one of his favorite techniques. It has become sort of his signature technique that he has used to thwart the efforts of pass rushers over the years.

Schwartz came away impressed with how Niang used the Hamilton effectively in just his second career NFL start, sharing some clips of Niang on his “Daily Dose” series.

Check it out:

The Hamilton is a technique used by offensive linemen to combat a lot of the techniques that defensive linemen are taught. It counters things like the long-arm technique or bullrushes, where defenders get their arms extended in an attempt to control the offensive linemen. The idea is that you lift the defenders’ arms up and away from your body to create leverage against your defender. For Niang in Week 2, the Hamilton worked like a charm.

The crazy thing here is that Schwartz says he didn’t learn to take advantage of this technique until his fourth year in the league. Niang is already using it and doing so effectively in just his second game with the team and first season in the NFL.

It’s also pretty remarkable to see Schwartz showing support and love to the player who is filling his shoes in Kansas City. He’s a true class act and continues to have strong ties to the team.

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Mitchell Schwartz criticized Matt Nagy regarding comments about evaluating Andy Dalton

Matt Nagy reiterated his intent to start Bears QB Andy Dalton in Week 1. But it’s Nagy’s reasoning that’s drawing criticism.

With two preseason games in the books, it’s clear to the naked eye that rookie Justin Fields has played better than anointed starter Andy Dalton. While there are plenty of concerns on offense, the Bears have looked more efficient with Fields under center, and he possesses the tools to counteract some of the offensive deficiencies and breathe some life into Matt Nagy’s dull offense.

But, as we know after three years, Nagy is about as stubborn as they come. So when Nagy reiterated that Dalton would be the Week 1 starter, it wasn’t exactly a surprise. But is certainly wasn’t the right answer.

It wasn’t just Nagy’s refusal to even consider Fields, it was the reasoning behind why he believes Dalton is the better option at this point.

“We need to see him in the regular season,” Nagy told reporters after Saturday’s 41-15 loss to the Bills.

And Nagy has received plenty of criticism for his comments.

Former Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz had some harsh words for his former offensive coordinator regarding Nagy’s reasoning for needing to evaluate Dalton in the regular season.

“If you’re not able to evaluate them after a month of camp, 3 preseason games, and another few weeks of practice then I don’t know what to tell you. This tells his team that any camp ‘competition’ was useless and their preconceived depth chart is what they’ll stick to, not merit.”

There’s certainly a possibility that Nagy is playing the cautious angle with Fields and not wanting to throw him to the dogs during Sunday Night Football, especially with major concerns on the offensive line.

And while Schwartz recognizes the possibility, he takes issue with how Nagy is going about things.

“And that’s ok if that’s the goal. But the way he goes about it needs fixing. It’s a direct quite: ‘we need to see him in the regular season.’ Just don’t say stuff like that. The implication is that you can’t scout him properly through an entire training camp, which is ridiculous.”

While Schwartz remains a free agent, it doesn’t sound like he’d be interested in signing with the Bears given his disagreement about how Nagy’s handling matters.

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Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith learned from Mitchell Schwartz at OL Masterminds summit

The former #Chiefs All-Pro right tackle is still making an impact in Kansas City, mentoring young players along the offensive line.

A former member of the Kansas City Chiefs continues to make his mark on the team, despite no longer physically being in the locker room.

A pair of Chiefs rookies along the offensive line reported for their first training camp on Friday. During the break between mandatory minicamp and training camp, both Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith attended the annual OL Masterminds summit. This multi-day offensive line event is put on by Eagles RT Lane Johnson and private OL coach Duke Manyweather, uniting offensive linemen with a common goal toward improving the position.

“There’s a ton of good NFL players that go to that, so when I got the invite I was excited,” Humphrey told reporters on Friday. “You know, I worked with Duke Manyweather, he’s the one that puts it on. I worked with him during draft prep, so he let me come in. It was great to hear from everyone.”

While Humphrey and Smith were at the summit, they had a chance to meet a player who had been crucial to the success of their new team over the past several years. That player was none other than former Chiefs RT Mitchell Schwartz, who was in attendance to help provide demonstrations to the players at the summit.

“Mitchell Schwartz was there,” Humphrey said. “It was good to hear from him and kind of pick his brain a little bit. It was a really good experience.”

Humphrey got a chance to learn from Schwartz, picking his brain about some of the things that helped make him one of the most dominant tackles in the league for many years.

“Just different techniques that he used,” Humphrey said of his conversation with Schwartz. “How he took care of his body throughout the season and things like that. Really just things to help me throughout my first year.”

Smith also had a chance to talk with Schwartz. If the veteran tackle wasn’t released by Kansas City this offseason, these two players likely would have been playing next to each other in the trenches.

“I actually had a chance to speak with him briefly,” Smith said. “I just asked him for some tips during training camp. So it was awesome finally getting to meet him.”

Smith’s conversation with Schwartz seemed to center less around football and more around prep for his first NFL training camp.

“Just basic stuff like bring a bed pad, bring a comforter, things like that,” Smith said with a chuckle. “It gets a little chilly in the dorm.”

That’s not to say that Smith didn’t learn anything tangible and useful from Schwartz. This marked Smith’s second OL Masterminds summit. Each time that he’s attended he’s learned something new that he’s been able to add to his repertoire. This year was no different for either of the Chiefs’ rookie offensive linemen.

“Every time you come out of there, you learn a different tidbit, a different thing that you can add to your toolbox,” Smith said. “So, it’s an excellent event. Duke (Manyweather) has been doing it for a lot of years. I really enjoyed it. Creed (Humphrey) and I got a lot out of it.”

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Titans named best fit for free-agent RT Mitchell Schwartz

The Titans have a big question mark at the right tackle spot for 2021.

After unexpectedly releasing right tackle Dennis Kelly earlier this offseason, the Tennessee Titans now have a big question mark at the position ahead of the 2021 season.

As of right now, it looks like the job will be up for grabs in training camp, with Kendall Lamm and Ty Sambrailo, two tackles who have spent the majority of their careers as backups, set to battle it out.

However, it’s also possible the Titans make another move in free agency to really shore up the position, and one player who would be a great fit is former Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz.

And Nick Shook of NFL.com agrees with that idea, calling the Titans the best fit for Schwartz in free agency:

Tennessee released Dennis Kelly last week in a cap-saving move that may have surprised some, considering its need to identify a quality starter to man the right tackle position. The Titans added veteran Kendall Lamm via free agency, but while Lamm has experience playing both tackle positions, his best fit is likely as a backup swing tackle, not a starter on the right side. With the Titans also needing an answer at receiver and nose tackle, this shouldn’t be their last addition, but the draft can help them shore up at least one of those areas. After the abject failure of first-round flameout Isaiah Wilson, the Titans can ill afford to put their hopes in the hands of another rookie, with their window for contention remaining open in the immediate future. Adding Schwartz, who recently underwent back surgery to address an injury that shortened his 2020 season, would be a slam-dunk move that would bolster the offensive line and help the Titans return to opening big holes for Derrick Henry.

Schwartz, 31, was released by the Chiefs earlier this offseason and is coming off the first season of his career in which he didn’t play a full 16 games after suffering a back injury that ended his 2020 campaign early.

The veteran needed to have surgery but said he’s “looking forward to a healthy 2021” in a social media post back in February.

Signing Schwartz would give the Titans a proven, top-notch starter on the right side, while also buying general manager Jon Robinson more time to find a long-term answer at the position.

The move certainly makes sense as long as the price is right, but now it’s up to Robinson to pull the trigger and bring Schwartz to Nashville if he can fit the veteran into Tennessee’s budget.

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Chiefs releasing tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher will make it harder for Ravens to trade Orlando Brown Jr.

With the KC Chiefs releasing Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher, the Baltimore Ravens will have a harder time trading Orlando Brown Jr.

Baltimore Ravens’ Orlando Brown Jr. has made it clear he views himself as a left tackle and wants to start on that side, going as far as requesting a trade to make it happen. Unfortunately, the Kansas City Chiefs releasing top tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz on Thursday is going to make Brown’s dream significantly harder to achieve this offseason.

The Chiefs, who were significantly over the 2021 NFL salary cap of $182.5 million, were effectively forced to part ways with Schwartz and Fisher to become compliant. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the moves will free up around $18 million but still leave Kansas City a little over the salary cap. However, the moves could mean just as much to the Ravens and Brown this offseason as it does the Chiefs.

If Brown is dead-set on leaving and Baltimore is willing to make it happen, the Ravens could get quite the haul thanks in part to his level of play and his low 2021 cap hit. But the biggest reason for Brown’s potentially high trade value had just as much to do with the scarcity of top talent available. As one of the premier positions in the NFL, top offensive tackles don’t become available very often — either by trade or in free agency — and this offseason was no different prior to Thursday.

With the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars using the franchise tag on tackles Taylor Moton and Cam Robinson respectively, the available options in free agency were pretty limited before the recent cuts. Considering several teams will be boasting new franchise quarterbacks this upcoming season, pairing them with a young, Pro Bowl offensive tackle is a no-brainer, making Brown the cream of the crop at the position this offseason. But with Schwartz and Fisher hitting the market, teams now have other viable options that will likely be far more economical.

While trading for Brown makes sense for quite a few teams, a deal would come with a pretty big cost. With all the leverage, Baltimore doesn’t have to give Brown away and likely has a minimum requirement before it’d be willing to pull the trigger on a trade. As I’ve projected before, that could be as high as a first-round selection, potentially seeing multiple picks get exchanged if there’s a bidding war for Brown’s services. That price tag is undoubtedly enough to scare some teams away by itself and that’s before getting to the fact Brown is in the last year of his rookie deal, meaning his new team would have to work out a hefty contract extension as well.

While Brown is really good, the financial and draft costs were likely going to be pretty big hurdles already. But with Schwartz and Fisher now available — and not counting against the compensatory pick formula since they were cut — teams can simply go sign a top offensive tackle without having to trade valuable draft picks for Brown, likely lowering his value significantly or at least removing some interested teams from the conversation.

The Ravens would undoubtedly want to keep Brown around for as long as possible, so a smaller market might just work in their favor. While Brown wants out, he doesn’t have any leverage to demand anything. Though he hasn’t indicated he’d hold out for a trade, a holdout would do no favors for his value and the hefty fines could be enough incentive against even trying it. If the minimum Baltimore wants in return isn’t met, Brown might not have much of a choice and might have to play a season at right tackle until he can hit free agency and cash in that way.

It’s going to be an interesting coming months with regards to Brown’s trade request. We’ll see if the addition of Schwartz and Fisher to free agency dries up Brown’s trade market or if there’s a team out there still desperate for his services.

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How does release of Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz impact Chiefs’ salary cap?

The Chiefs are still over the cap with the release of Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz.

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The Kansas City Chiefs said goodbye to starting LT Eric Fisher and starting RT Mitchell Schwartz this morning, releasing both players from their contracts with the team.

The move was a cost-cutting measure, bringing forth the harsh reality of the business side of the NFL. While many will be quick to blame the lessened salary cap for the release of Fisher and Schwartz, it’s important to remember that both players were coming off injuries and on the final year of their contracts. It made sense for the Chiefs to move on both financially and weighing the likelihood of future return on investment.

The Chiefs had nearly a seventh of their 2021 cap space tied up in those two players. If Fisher and Schwartz weren’t ready to play in Week 1 of 2021 because of their injuries, the sunk cost would be too much for the team to overcome. Veach made the smart move and decided to recoup what cap space he could, starting fresh at the position.

Releasing both players combines for just under $7 million in dead cap space for the Chiefs. The salary cap savings from both players amount to a total of $18.3 million. Obviously, you’d like two moves like this to get you under the projected 2021 salary cap, but this move didn’t get them there. Instead, it got them quite a bit closer.

As of yesterday, the Chiefs were around $21 million over the $182.5 million salary cap. Current projections from both Spotrac and OverTheCap have the Chiefs with just over $4 million in cap space left to clear in order to get under the cap. Kansas City and the rest of the league need to get under the cap by the start of the new league year, later this month on March 17. They also need to free enough money to sign players in the upcoming free agency period. That doesn’t include the $6-8 million that they’ll need to sign their draft class.

So, yeah, Brett Veach still has more work to do.

One move that Veach and his staff can make in order to free space is to extend Tyrann Mathieu. They can also restructure contracts, converting roster bonuses or salaries to signing bonuses. They can do that with players like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Tyreek Hill, Frank Clark and Anthony Hitchens.

It’s worth noting that restructuring the contracts of players like Clark and Hitchens would only increase the likelihood that those players are here for the length of their contracts. Cap hits and dead money go up in future years, so if Veach wants the option of moving on from either player after 2021, he’d be wise to leave their contracts as they are.

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How do the Chiefs re-define their offensive line after releasing Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz?

The Chiefs released both of their starting offensive tackles on Thursday. Where do they go after Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz are done?

The 2021 salary cap bloodbath continues, as NFL teams try to navigate a world in which the 2021 cap of $182.5 million represented an unprecedented reduction from 2020’s $198.2 million figure. Among the teams now most affected by this are the defending AFC champion Kansas Chiefs, who were thumped 31-9 in Super Bowl LV by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their dominant pass rush.

Not that the Buccaneers’ pass rush needed to be dominant, because the Chiefs were rolling without Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, their two starting left tackles. As a result, and with Mike Remmers replacing Fisher at left tackle and Andrew Wylie replacing Schwartz on the right side, Patrick Mahomes was pressured as he’d never been before — 36 of his 51 dropbacks came under pressure, and he completed just nine of 26 passes when hit or hurried.

Now, in two moves designed to free up salary cap space, the Chiefs announce the releases of both Fisher and Schwartz.

The Chiefs do get some pretty serious relief. Fisher’s release frees up $11,25 million, while Schwartz’s release saves a cap hit of $10,005 million.

Fisher missed the Super Bowl with a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in the AFC Championship game against the Bills, while Schwartz hadn’t played since Week 6 with back issues.

These releases make sense from all these perspectives, but of course the question now is… what the heck do the Chiefs do to build their line back up? It’s possible that 2020 third-round pick Lucas Niang from TCU could get a shot at right tackle — he allowed just one sack and 32 total pressures in four years with the Horned Frogs, though he opted out of his rookie season with the Chiefs.

Beyond that, there are options in both the draft and free agency. Trent Williams might be cost-prohibitive, but Russell Okung, Riley Reiff, and Alejandro Villanueva might represent lower-cost options.

As for the draft, the Chiefs have eight overall picks, including compensatory picks, and they start with the 31st overall selection. There, they might be able to avail themselves of scheme fits such as Virginia Tech’s Christian Darrisaw, USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker, or Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood. With the 63rd overall pick in the second round, North Dakota State’s Dillon Radunz, who worked in a heavily-schemed passing game with a massively successful running quarterback in Trey Lance, would seem to be an ideal fit.

The Chiefs do have two gifted and experienced O-line experts in head coach Andy Reid and offensive line coach Andy Heck, which is a nice way to start this particular rebuild.