Tag: Nick Allegretti

1 pending free agent Chargers should target: AFC West Edition

Listing one free agent from each of the Chargers’ division rivals who could be a fit for them.

The Chargers won’t be as aggressive as they have been in recent years when it comes to signing free agents.

While they’re cash-strapped, general manager Tom Telesco will likely make some moves to have some spendings available to them so they can sign some low-cost players.

That said, I will list one pending free agent from each team in the NFL that could be a realistic target for L.A.

First up is the AFC West.

Oh, baby: Pair of Chiefs already have super Sunday

A pair of Kansas City Chiefs had some big memories prior to the Super Bowl on Feb. 12

Win or lose in Super Bowl 57, Feb. 12, 2023, will be a memorable day for a pair of Kansas City Chiefs.

Nick Allegretti’s wife Christina gave birth to twin girls at 3:30 a.m. in Chicago.

The guard and his parents FacedTimed the delivery in the hotel lobby early on Sunday Bowl Sunday.

Minutes later, in another part of the country, Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman tweeted his own baby news:

Per Chiefswire:

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman and his girlfriend, Chariah Gordon, should have a newborn bundle of joy soon. Hardman frantically tweeted at 3:40 a.m. that his girlfriend’s water broke. Hardman is on injured reserve and will not play in Super Bowl LVII, so this was really perfect timing in every sense.

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Chiefs’ Mecole Hardman, Nick Allegretti receive special deliveries ahead of Super Bowl LVII

Congratulations are in order for #Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman and OL Nick Allegretti ahead of Super Bowl LVII.

A pair of Kansas City Chiefs players received some special deliveries ahead of Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles.

First up, Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman and his girlfriend, Chariah Gordon, should have a newborn bundle of joy soon. Hardman frantically tweeted at 3:40 a.m. that his girlfriend’s water broke. Hardman is on injured reserve and will not play in Super Bowl LVII, so this was really perfect timing in every sense.

We’ve already got Chiefs fans working on a list of Super Bowl-related baby names for Hardman.

Next up, Chiefs backup offensive lineman Nick Allegretti and his wife Christina welcomed two new members of Chiefs Kingdom to the world just before Hardman shared his news. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Christina gave birth to twin girls at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday morning in Chicago, Illinois. Nick and his parents remained in Arizona ahead of the game and FaceTimed live to witness the birth of his two children.

There could be another baby on the way before the day is finished too. Eagles C Jason Kelce and his wife Kylie are expecting and brought two doctors to Super Bowl LVII, just in case.

Congratulations are in order for the Hardman family, the Allegretti family, and eventually the Kelce family on their newborns.

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4 Chiefs free agents the Saints should be scouting in Super Bowl LVII

Defensive tackle Khalen Saunders is among 4 Chiefs free agents the Saints should be scouting in Super Bowl LVII:

Let’s start off by acknowledging the New Orleans Saints probably won’t be big spenders in free agency again this year — they’re currently sitting out the salary cap by more than $57 million, and they’re hard at work trying to figure out how they could fit a $32 million cap hit for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr on the books.

But that’s not to say the Saints won’t be active at all. They signed multiple contributors to low-cost contracts last year, and they’ll be on the look for help again in 2023. And that could bring them back to the Kansas City Chiefs. Both of the Saints’ leaders in interceptions last year came from Kansas City: safeties Tyrann Mathieu (3) and Daniel Sorensen (2). With the Chiefs soon kicking off Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles, here are four pending free agents to watch who could fit New Orleans’ needs:

Chiefs LG Joe Thuney dealing with ankle injury vs. Broncos

#Chiefs LG Joe Thuney tried to tough out his ankle injury, but he has since been replaced by Nick Allegretti.

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Update: Thuney has been ruled out.

The second half of the Week 17 game against the Denver Broncos didn’t get started the way the Kansas City Chiefs had hoped.

After an incomplete pass to a wide-open Skyy Moore on second down, Chiefs LG Joe Thuney suffered an apparent injury on the ensuing play. The Broncos pushed the pocked and several bodies piled up as they tried to get to Patrick Mahomes. When players began to get up, Thuney remained down on the field.

Thuney was helped off the field by Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith. The training staff worked on his ankle on the sideline — perhaps the same ankle that he injured against the Buffalo Bills back in Week 6. That injury has nagged him all season and he eventually missed some time with it in Week 12 and Week 13. They eventually retapped his ankle and he was out on the field for the ensuing offensive series.

They’d eventually replace Thuney with Nick Allegretti and rule Thuney questionable to return to the game.

The fact that Thuney was able to return to the game is a positive sign as far as his outlook for the postseason is concerned. I think it’s a safe bet that at a minimum, Thuney will be held out of the Week 18 finale against the Las Vegas Raiders next week.

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WATCH: Chiefs OG Nick Allegretti scores big man touchdown vs. Steelers

Nothing better than a big man touchdown and #Chiefs backup OL Nick Allegretti got one against the #Steelers.

Third-year guard Nick Allegretti scored a big man touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the red zone to give the Kansas City Chiefs a 28-7 lead in the third quarter.

Nobody expected the lineman to spring free after reporting eligible on the one-yard line. Check out the short-yardage trickery up top, and notice how little attention the defense paid to Allegretti when he scampered in for the easy score. This was Allegretti’s first NFL touchdown and his first time playing a big role in a game since he filled in at left guard against the Bengals. He has proven to be a capable blocker who plays with the same grit he showed on film at the University of Illinois, but now he showed off his mitts as well. There was also the takedown of T.J. Watt to make it happen too.

The touchdown set up the Chiefs to take an even more commanding 35-7 lead after forcing a turnover on the ensuing Steelers drive, which has them fully in control of the game in the middle of the third quarter. Pittsburgh would strike back with a touchdown of their own, though, and by the end of the third quarter cut the lead down to 21 heading into the fourth.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had some struggles in the first half but got off to a hot start in the second with back-t0-back touchdown passes. It would take a monumental effort by Pittsburgh to turn the tide at this point, but Kansas City has plenty of work to do to prove they’re a team to beat in the AFC.

If the third quarter has been any indication, the Chiefs are in rhythm heading into a Divisional round matchup against Buffalo in a battle of two of the league’s top offenses. The Mahomes-Josh Allen rivalry looks to have another iconic meeting brewing with both teams on the top of their game and relatively healthy in the last few weeks of January.

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Chiefs big man Nick Allegretti discards T.J. Watt, catches TD pass

The Kansas City Chiefs with a big man touchdown in AFC Super Wild Card action

The Kansas City Chiefs’ Nick Allegretti did double-duty on one play in the third quarter of Sunday’s AFC Super Wild Card game with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Allegretti, 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, reported as eligible. He begins the play by blocking and dismissing the great T.J. Watt.

That mission accomplished, Allegretti turned around at the goal line and was the recipient of a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes.

After the big-man score, Mahomes went the usual route, hitting Tyreek Hill for his fifth TD pass of the game, all in 11 minutes.

Chiefs OL Nick Allegretti notches first career start

Allegretti gets the start at left guard for the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have a new starter at left guard this Sunday with second-year offensive lineman Nick Allegretti earning his first career start.

Last week, Allegretti played 65 snaps at LG after an injury to Mitchell Schwartz forced Mike Remmers to fill in at RT. Now, with Schwartz being made inactive for the first time in his career, Allegretti has coincidently earned the opportunity to make a start at LG.

The Chiefs drafted Allegretti out of the University of Illinois in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He played sparingly in his first season in Kansas City, with most of his snaps coming on special teams. In the few games that he did earn an offensive snap, it was as an extra blocker on heavy formations. In fact, Allegretti’s first offensive snap came in Denver, back in 2019.

“Yeah, my first snap up in Denver, that was definitely a good time,” Allegretti told reporters on Thursday. “But I don’t know, just kind of the way I was raised growing up playing football—if you’re going to make a mistake, make it flying around, make it fast, make it physical. So, mistakes are going to happen throughout a football game, there’s a lot of snaps. The one thing I can control is my effort, my physicality, so that’s what I have. The rest, preparation and all that, that comes as I continue to grow. But I know that I can play as hard as I want, or as hard as I can, and be as physical as I can, so that’s what I have.”

One thing that Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck has preached to his unit is preparation. Allegretti has taken that to heart and his preparation has him feeling confident now that he’s out there on the field. Part of that confidence comes from going against the talented Chiefs defensive line group during practice.

“I think that just, the D-line that we have here, an incredibly talented group, so being able to go up against them day in and day out at practice and competing with them,” Allegretti said. “Chris (Jones) is an incredible player and Derrick Nnadi is an incredible player, so being able to get those reps against them and slowly getting to have some success or learn some things from them has been huge.”

Allegretti overcame some butterflies last week and was mostly operating on auto-pilot. This week he’ll have a chance to learn from his Week 6 tape and make some improvements as he faces a talented Broncos defensive front.

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Chiefs’ Daniel Kilgore, Nick Allegretti, Mike Remmers receive high praise from position coach

When the offensive line performs well, everyone is happy, especially OL coach Andy Heck.

The projected starting offensive line for the Kansas City Chiefs this year was much different from the group the team had out on the field during the second offensive drive of the Week 6 game against the Buffalo Bills. Opt-outs, injuries and more have drastically altered the depth of this group this season, providing opportunities to some players who might not have received them beforehand.

Three players, in particular, received opportunities on Monday. Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck was asked about his impressions of his rearranged offensive front and their performance.

“We had a couple of guys step in and play spots that they hadn’t really practiced that particular week,” Heck told reporters on Thursday. “But that said, they had practiced making those sorts of blocks all through training camp, all through the spring, albeit virtually this year. The point being, we feel comfortable that if guys are going in, whether they’re reaching right, reaching left, playing a right-handed stance or a left-handed stance, it doesn’t really matter. These guys have done the stuff before and so we don’t skip a beat.”

Mike Remmers, Daniel Kilgore and Nick Allegretti all rose to the occasion, with a record performance on the ground for an Andy Reid-coached team. Kilgore notched his first start with the Chiefs in Week 6, marking his 57th career start. Heck was very impressed, not only by what Kilgore did in the game but by his preparation leading up to it.

“First on Daniel (Kilgore), here’s a guy, another veteran, experienced player,” Heck said. “He’s played a lot of ball, and he’s a guy I’ve been a fan of since I worked him out at App State way back when. So, I was familiar with Daniel, and then he gets in the building and really has A-plus talent, his leadership ability, his communication skills, his love for the game, and so we knew we’d get that. And then he’s been here through the better part of camp leading up to this, and so in watching him and his preparation, I felt like he got his wind, he’s got his conditioning that he could give us a little spark in there.”

As for Allegretti, the second-year Chief received high praise for his toughness. Heck wouldn’t commit to Allegretti being in there again this week, but with Mitchell Schwartz on the injury report, Allegretti’s first career start seems imminent.

“One thing you know you’re going to get with Nick is an all-out, tough, gritty performance,” Heck said. “And that’s what he gave us, and I thought he did a nice job.”

Finally, Heck spoke about Remmers, who is perhaps the most versatile piece the Chiefs have. He’s playing the Cam Erving role in Kansas City and seeing much more success doing so.

“We’re really glad to have Mike here,” Heck said. “Absolutely fortunate to have him here. Having a guy that has the ability to play left and right guard and tackle is very valuable in this league. And on top of that, he’s an experienced veteran and he’s a tough nut. We love the way he goes after it, plays the game, the versatility. We’ve had that in the past with guys like Cam Erving, so to have Mike here to replace that for us has been huge.”

Fans across the Chiefs Kingdom are wondering if the offensive line’s performance in Week 6 is sustainable. For Heck, the answer to that question lies within the week of practice. If the offensive line room continues to prepare as they did against the Bills in Week 6, they’ll continue to reap the benefits on the field.

“I did think the guys did a nice job with that, and really, and we preach this all the time, what makes that happen is your preparation,” Heck said. “You prepare to win, and I thought they had particularly good preparation that week from top to bottom, every man. Whether it was showing for our defense or executing our game plan, I thought they prepared the right way, and then it showed up on Sunday, and that’s usually how it works.”

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Chiefs offensive line bullied Bills defense in Week 6 win

The Chiefs’ offensive line was serving pancakes for dinner on Monday night.

After the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 6 win over the Buffalo Bills, Sean McDermott addressed the Buffalo media. He said that when facing the Kansas City offense “you have to pick your poison” in regards to what you’re trying to take away on defense. Well, they picked their poison, selling out to defend Patrick Mahomes and the explosive passing game. In return, the Chiefs made the Bills pay handsomely for it, to the tune of 245 total rushing yards on the day.

After several weeks of disappointment on the ground, the Chiefs gave their running game a bit more opportunity in this game. Andy Reid explained it wasn’t anything that they specifically identified on film with the Bills, rather that he felt he hadn’t been giving the running game a chance to get going, especially in the second half of Week 5 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

“This is me talking, so I didn’t think I gave the guys enough of a chance last week with it, especially in the second half,” Reid told reporters following the game. “So, we wanted to make sure—you know, we’re best when we have some kind of a balance going. When you can go back and forth, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the defense. So, we were able to do both, and we felt like we needed both in this game.”

While rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire deserves a ton of the credit — an offensive line comprised of mainly backup players were the stars of the show. This group controlled the line of scrimmage in a dominant fashion, creating what felt like the most push we’ve seen from an interior offensive line since the days when Brian Waters, Casey Wiegmann and Will Shields were destroying defensive fronts.

Maybe that last part is a little hyperbolic, but their play was certainly reminiscent of such moments. Daniel Kilgore and Nick Allegretti gave the offensive interior new life in the ground game, tossing out pancakes like a line cook at the local IHOP. The Bills did sit a few starters on the defensive line, but they still had some stout players like Ed Oliver and Quinton Jefferson out there. It felt like Buffalo could have put a few Hall of Famers out there and it wouldn’t have mattered because the guys were just playing like bullies.

Panthers GM Dave Gettleman would be soaking wet after watching the tape of these hog mollies play. Over at PFF, it was the most positively graded performance by the entire offensive line in quite some time. For Reid, he was just proud of the performance and the coaching job on the offensive line.

“Kilgore did a nice job, he’s a good football player,” Reid said. “He’s played a lot of football. Allegretti, I thought he did a nice job, too. So, a good, solid game. I’ll look to see the tape and see how we did from there. But I thought it looked like the offensive line—(Mike) Remmers kicked out, he started at guard and kicked out to tackle—so, we had a lot of moving pieces there. A tribute to Coach (Andy) Heck and the job that he does moving people around in practice. The guys didn’t really flinch, they just jumped in and went.”

It was clear that the Chiefs’ offensive line had something to prove in this game. Even with some backup players in there, this is a proud group and their performance was called into question after the Week 5 loss. Patrick Mahomes felt the entire group took the criticism to heart.

“I think the O-Line and those guys really took it personally upon themselves that the light boxes that we’d been facing and the pressure was given up last week and they took that personally this week and you saw it today,” Mahomes said. “They gave good holes for Clyde (Edwards-Helaire) to run through. We had to shuffle those guys around and guys stepped up and Clyde really hit it and finished runs well.”

Now the question is, what will the Chiefs do with the offensive line from here? The guys stepped up as Mahomes said, but will they be rewarded with another opportunity?

Do you keep Allegretti and Kilgore in at left guard and center? They both exceeded all expectations in Week 6. Do you go back to a lineup that might not yield such favorable results in the ground game? The coaching staff will likely work it out in practice over the course of the week. The injury to Schwartz may ultimately be the determining factor here. If he’s forced to sit out, we should see this same group back out there in Week 7 against the Denver Broncos.

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