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The Kansas City Chiefs have signed a player that could be a potential starter for them on the offensive line.
Kansas City is signing former Houston Texans offensive tackle Geron Christian, according to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson. The deal is for one year, per Nate Taylor of The Athletic.
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Christian was a third-round pick of the Washington Commanders in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Louisville. In three seasons with Washington, he played a total of 24 games, but only started in eight of them, according to Pro Football Reference. Last season — in his lone season with the Texans — Christian played in 14 regular-season games and started eight of them.
Per PFF, 560 of the 588 total offensive snaps played by Christian last season were at left tackle. The other 28 were at right tackle. He earned a 78.8 passing block grade by PFF. During his four-year career, he has played a total of 1,042 snaps at left tackle and 119 at right tackle.
The Chiefs are in need of another quality starter along their offensive line. They have Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle, Joe Thuney at left guard, Creed Humphrey at center, and Trey Smith at right guard. However, a mix of second-year lineman Lucas Niang and veteran Andrew Wylie last season at right tackle showed a clear weakness on the right side of the offensive line. While Kansas City did re-sign Wylie this offseason, he would be better suited as a reserve option in the trenches rather than a starter. Niang would serve well in a similar role.
While Christian did play a majority of his snaps at left tackle last season, it’s very possible he could become a starter for the Chiefs at right tackle given his ability to play on both sides of the offensive line. His contract details could help us better understand what the Chiefs’ intentions are with the 25-year-old (whenever his contract is revealed).
Chiefs Need to Solidify O-Line Amid AFC West Arms Race
Among the big moves in the AFC West in the month of March was the Los Angeles Chargers trading for Chicago Bears pass rusher Khalil Mack, the Denver Broncos signing former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory, and the Las Vegas Raiders signing former Arizona Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones.
Because of all these moves from the Chiefs’ division rivals, it’s of the utmost importance that Kansas City ensures they give quarterback Patrick Mahomes consistent protection on the offensive line moving forward. Due to the Chiefs’ limited cap space, Christian is the type of signing that fits the mold of what Kansas City can do cap-wise this offseason to address the right side of the offensive line (assuming that Christian’s one-year deal is for a small amount of money).
Christian becomes just the third player outside the organization that the Chiefs have struck a deal with during free agency. On March 14, they signed safety Justin Reid to a three-year, $31 million deal, per ESPN’s Adam SchefterESPN’s Adam Schefter. Then on March 18, Kansas City signed wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster to a one-year, $10.75 million, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
Twitter Reacts to Christian Signing
Twitter users reacted to the Chiefs signing Christian.
“It’s not a big flashy signing and won’t be talked about much. But Veach understands depth at the O-Line position. Welcome to KC Geron Christian!” one Twitter user wrote.
“New #Chiefs OT @geron_christian did most of the dirty work in the trenches at @UofLFootball that helped college teammate QB @Lj_era8 win a Heisman Trophy and be drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Baltimore. Great pick up by Brett Veach,” another user wrote.
“Geron Christian is 6’6, 315lbs, only 25 years old, played in 14 games and 588 offensive snaps last season for the Texans, had only 3 holding and 2 false start penalties. Solid depth piece for the Chiefs,” another user wrote.
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