A former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman is on the move to begin Week 5. Center Austin Reiter has been signed to the Miami Dolphins active roster from the New Orleans Saints practice squad, according to Ari Meirov of PFF.
Dolphins starting center Michael Dieter is dealing with a foot and quad injury that landed him on injured reserve to begin October. So, Miami brings aboard Reiter with the intention of him competing with reserve lineman Greg Mancz for the starting center job.
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Reiter’s Career
Reiter, 29, is coming off back-to-back seasons as the full-time starter for Kansas City, which included one Super Bowl victory in the 2019 season and an appearance in the big game during the 2020 season. During that time span, Reiter started a total of 34 games, earning a 63.0 and 70.9 overall grade in each season, respectively, by PFF.
By popular request, I’m looking at Austin Reiter. Not bad so far, particularly for a first game. Has some upper body strength and a nice punch, plays with a wide base.
Yes, I’m still hoping my 40-year-old son Mitch Morse comes back to KC. Just doing what you monsters asked for.
Reiter Highlights Chiefs’ 2020 O-Line Issues
The veteran lineman being a free agent and signing to New Orleans’ practice squad in Week 2 of the regular season, and then not getting a chance to potentially start until Week 5 in Miami is telling of the issues Kansas City had along the offensive line last season. Though Reiter was serviceable, his PFF grades show that he is not a starting-caliber lineman in the NFL and would be better suited as a depth piece to a contender. This highlights the efforts by the Chiefs this offseason to bolster the offensive line.
The first big move this offseason for Kansas City was signing former New England Patriots All-Pro guard Joe Thuney to a five-year, $80 million deal. Then in April, they made a big trade to acquire tackle Orlando Brown Jr. from the Baltimore Ravens. Fast forward to September, and three first-year players are starting along the offensive line — rookie center Creed Humphrey, rookie right guard Trey Smith, and 2020 opt-out, right tackle Lucas Niang. That’s unusual, to say the least. Teams may typically experience a different face or two in the starting unit over the course of one offseason. But five new faces is rare.
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Former Chiefs Super Bowl Starter Lands With Dolphins