Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (#15) celebrates with former right tackle Mitchell Schwartz (#71) in 2020.
When you win a Super Bowl as a key contributor alongside Patrick Mahomes, the questions never stop coming.
That’s probably the case for retired Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who has remained involved with the KC community since exiting the league. The long-time blocker is a great follow on Twitter if you’re looking for offensive line analysis or behind-the-scenes NFL insight — just be careful not to ask him anything that’s blatantly obvious.
Schwartz Twitter Response Goes Viral
The former right tackle does a lot of fan Q&As to engage with followers but just make sure you come correct with the question. If not, Schwartz will have no problem mauling you as if you were a 250-pound edge rusher coming after his quarterback.
You can’t blame the man, it’s in his DNA as an All-Pro athlete after all.
A recent Twitter response went viral after a fan asked Schwartz to rank the quarterbacks he played with throughout his career. He wrote: “How would you rank Patrick [Mahomes]? I see these other players leaving and talking up their new QB, is that something they do to try to earn they new QB’s trust?”
“What do you think my answer is going to be? Yea, Pat is great and all and we won a Super Bowl because of him, but I have him third behind Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel. Come on,” Schwartz trolled back — an absolute social media massacre.
To be fair, Schwartz did play with Alex Smith for a couple of seasons but his list of NFL quarterbacks isn’t spectacular beyond that. Advice for next time, just tell him to rank his ex-QBs. Don’t ask him where Mahomes falls in the order behind different Cleveland Browns’ failures.
Chiefs Have Yet to Find Schwartz Replacement
Speaking of fan questions, Schwartz has received a specific one ever since his final game in 2020 — would he ever return to the gridiron as a Chief?
As the accomplished blocker enjoys his retirement, the right tackle issue looms large in Kansas City. Andrew Wylie is set to start with 2020 third-rounder Lucas Niang still recovering from a knee injury.
Wylie performed admirably in the run game last season according to Pro Football Focus with a 77.6 grade but was less reliable in pass protection. The converted guard allowed 29 quarterback pressures and four sacks over 328 pass-blocking snaps. That pass-block efficiency rating was the worst on the offensive line in 2021, at 94.6%.
For reference, Niang’s rating was 95.8% and ex-Chiefs RT Mike Remmers’ was 97.4%. Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. had a 97.2% efficiency in pass protection.
If Wylie should struggle, the remaining options on the roster are Prince Tega Wanogho, Geron Christian Sr. and rookie Darian Kinnard — who doesn’t appear ready after narrowly surviving the cutdown.
Daily Dose! Sound up and eyes on RT Lucas Niang (#67) during this Empty Protection breakdown as he shows off awareness, decision making, and change of direction on this rep. More impressive stuff from him! #MitchsDailyDose #Chiefs #ChiefsKingdom
Eventually, Niang could retake the starting role if he comes back healthy and ready to contribute. The youngster has had various stalls in his development, from his decision to opt out of his rookie campaign to his recent injury.
Talent-wise, the TCU product still has the rest of the candidates beat if he can just put it all together on the football field and then stay there. Easier said than done.