Former Chiefs Starting C Austin Reiter Signs With Dolphins: Report

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.

Source: #Dolphins are planning to sign center Austin Reiter off the #Saints practice squad. Miami starting center Michael Deiter is dealing with a foot and quad injury and was recently placed on IR. So Miami adds an experienced center who started 28 games the last two seasons.

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 4, 2021

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. pic.twitter.com/CxrDR1Al1Z

— Seth Keysor (@RealMNchiefsfan) March 7, 2019

Reiter was active for one game for New Orleans this season but did not draw a start at center.

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.

However, through four weeks of the regular season, Kansas City’s new-look offensive line has shined. That unit has only allowed quarterback Patrick Mahomes to be sacked five times. On top of that, they’ve helped second-year running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire get going on the ground, with CEH accumulating 291 yards on the ground, which is seventh-best it the NFL, and averaging 5.0 yards per carry, which is fourth-best among running backs that are top 10 in the league in rushing currently, per ESPN stats.

The best-graded linemen for the Chiefs by PFF have been along the interior. Rookie center Creed Humphrey is the third-highest graded center in the NFL, earning an 84.7 overall grade. Veteran guard Joe Thuney and rookie Trey Smith are the 11th and 12th highest-graded guards in the league, respectively, earning grades of 73.4 and 73.3.

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Former Chiefs Super Bowl Starter Lands With Dolphins

Reiter’s Career

Reiter Highlights Chiefs’ 2020 O-Line Issues

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