HEADLINES

Andrew Wylie

Latest On Commanders’ OL Situation

July 3rd, 2023 at 7:54pm CST by Ely Allen

The Commanders’ 2022 offensive line was one of the league’s most beleaguered position groups last year. The team dealt with multiple injuries throughout the season, handicapping a group that already was lacking in star talent. A good amount of turnover is expected from last year’s lineup, but is it nearly enough to not be a hindrance to quarterback Sam Howell‘s first season as a Day 1 starter?

In terms of turnover, Trai Turner, who started 12 games at guard last season, has departed as a free agent. Wes Schweitzer, who started six games at guard, is now on the Jets. Nick Martin and Chase Roullier have also made their way to free agency, and Andrew Norwell is soon set to join them. It was announced a little over a month ago that the team was waiting to release Norwell until he could pass a physical, but he’s still currently on the roster today.

In terms of new blood, the Commanders signed former Chiefs tackle Andrew Wylie, who followed new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy from Kansas City. The team also added former Giants interior lineman Nick Gates with the intent to play him at center. Washington did re-sign Tyler Larsen, who started eight games at center for the team last year. The loser of the starting battle between Gates and Larsen will become an experienced depth piece on the interior line. Additionally, the team used both a third- and a fourth-round draft pick to address the offensive line, bringing in rookie center Ricky Stromberg from Arkansas and rookie tackle Braeden Daniels from Utah. While both could project as long-term starters for the future, neither rookie seems to be a contender to make an impact this season.

With the offseason moves, we’re starting to see the line take shape. Left tackle Charles Leno is the only sure thing on the line. He’s a definitive starter and should produce at a consistent level. The Commanders spent too much money on Wylie for him not to start. It’s been a couple years since his best performances (he allowed nine sacks last year), but his starting experience for a Super Bowl-winning team is likely enough to cement him at right tackle.

Gates likewise is being paid at a starters’ rate, so he’s the odds-on favorite to take the starting job at center. In that case, it ends up being a smart move to have retained Larsen, since over the past two years, Gates has only appeared in 12 games. If Gates continues to struggle to stay on the field, Washington knows Larsen can step up. With the addition of Stromberg in the draft, the Commanders are certainly attempting to feel secure after a season that decimated their centers room.

Samuel Cosmi is an interesting piece in the line. He was drafted out of Texas in the second round two years ago as a top tackle prospect, and while he’s gotten some run there in Washington, he’s also filled in a bit at guard. With Wylie and Leno likely securing starting roles on the outside, Cosmi can either become a strong depth piece at tackle or continue working as a starter at guard.

The other guard spot seems fairly open. Saahdiq Charles is currently one of the top candidates for the starting role. In three years with the team, Charles has started eight games, but he’s not really expected to excel as a starting guard. His main competition for the position seems to be last year’s seventh-round pick Chris Paul. Paul only made his NFL debut when he started the season finale for the Commanders last year, but Rivera has heaped praise on the progress and abilities of the young man. If he continues to impress, he could push Charles for the starting spot opposite Cosmi.

So, did the Commanders piece together a line that their second-year passer can be confident behind? It’s almost certainly too soon to tell. There’s an argument to be made that they were able to increase the talent of their two-deep, but the biggest thing they could improve on to better their chances of success this year is just health.

Commanders To Sign RT Andrew Wylie

March 13th, 2023 at 1:18pm CST by Adam La Rose

Andrew Wylie is on the move, but he will be working with a familiar face in 2023. The veteran right tackle is set to sign with the Commanders on a three-year deal worth $24MM, as first noted (on Twitter) by veteran reporter Ari Meirov).

Wylie, 28, has spent all five of his career seasons with the Chiefs. That span includes 59 starts in 71 games; he operated as Kansas City’s full-time right tackle in 2022. He played out this past season on a one-year, $2.5MM pact, one which proved to be a bargain for the team. Wylie played a key role in the Chiefs’ success up front in the Super Bowl, which has helped earn him this new contract.

By heading to Washington, the East Michigan product will reunite with Eric Bieniemy, who took the Commanders’ offensive coordinator job after holding the same title with the Chiefs. Wylie will likely be counted upon for Washington after his strong performance in 2022, but his departure – something the Chiefs wanted to avoid – is leading to a significant shake-up on their o-line.

Kansas City has reportedly agreed to terms with fellow tackle free agent Jawaan Taylor, which will give them at least one high-end player on the edge. The significant investment made in him, however, points to Pro Bow left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. being likely to depart as well.

Wylie will give the Commanders a veteran option at the RT spot alongside swing tackle Cornelius Lucas. 2021 draftee Sam Cosmi and the recently re-signed Drew Himmelman are also in the mix as depth at the tackle spot. This addition comes on the same day that Washington has reached agreement on a deal with another o-lineman in Nick Gates. A new-look offensive front could give the Commanders a boost as they look to take a step forward in terms of production in 2023.

Chiefs Want To Keep OTs Orlando Brown Jr., Andrew Wylie

February 18th, 2023 at 5:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Chiefs’ offensive line was commended for their performance in Super Bowl LVII, keeping a dominant Eagles pass rush from recording a sack in the championship game. The bookends of that unit are pending free agents, but the team would prefer to keep them both.

Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. played out the 2022 season on the franchise tag, after negotiations on a long-term deal failed to deliver a big-ticket extension. He has made clear his intention of staying in Kansas City for 2023 and beyond, though a below-market contract will not be considered in his situation. The four-time Pro Bowler earned a 75.4 PFF grade this season, an identical rating to the one from the previous campaign.

Brown, 26, made $16.6MM by playing on the tag last year. He would see his salary bump up to $19.9MM if a second tag were to be used, something which is reportedly expected to take place. If the Oklahoma alum were hit the open market, though, he would command a serious bidding war given his age and consistency. The Chiefs’ cap situation is also set to become more complicated as they move further into quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ mega-extension.

On the other side of the line, right tackle Andrew Wylie took on a full-time starting role in 2022. That made his one-year, $2.5MM contract signed last offseason a highly valuable one. The 28-year-old played over 1,000 snaps for the first time in his career, and while he only ranked 45th out of 81 qualifying tackles in PFF grade, he confirmed his presence as a versatile blocker. The Chiefs are no doubt facing numerous changes this offseason, but maintaining their tackle tandem appears to be a priority.

“Those guys obviously had good years for us,” head coach Andy Reid said when speaking to the media following the team’s Super Bowl victory. “All these contract things I haven’t gotten with [general manager Brett] Veach on at all. I kind of stay out of that world, but I think both guys are very well-liked here and I’m sure that Brett will surely make a strong attempt at keeping them here. But we’ll see how that goes” (h/t Pro Football Talk’s Myles Simmons).

Both Brown and Wylie are in line for raises compared to the 2022 campaign. Reid’s comments suggest they could be coming, though plenty of financial maneuvering will be needed on the Chiefs’ part to make that possible.

Chiefs To Re-Sign OL Andrew Wylie

March 16th, 2022 at 7:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Chiefs reconfigured their offensive line after Super Bowl LV, they still depended on Andrew Wylie frequently as a substitute last season. They will bring back the veteran for 2022.

The Chiefs reached a one-year, $2.5MM agreement to re-sign Wylie, Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus tweets. Wylie sought a Kansas City return, per the KC Star’s Herbie Teope (on Twitter), and this will be the versatile blocker’s fifth season with the team.

A UDFA addition in 2018, Wylie worked as a near-full-time starter at guard from 2018-20. The Chiefs used Wylie at guard in Super Bowl LIV but needed him to play right tackle in Super Bowl LV. The Buccaneers’ pass rush made most Chiefs O-linemen’s nights miserable in that game, but the Chiefs kept Wylie on a one-year, $920K deal in 2021. Wylie, 27, started games at both guard spots and right tackle last season.

While Wylie has been unable to turn his extensive first-string work into a lucrative contract, he has been a regular despite coming into the league undrafted out of a mid-major program (Eastern Michigan). The Chiefs have locked-in starters at four of their five spots (Orlando Brown, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith) but still have questions at right tackle. Wylie’s experience here figures to make him a swing option, at worst, for 2022.

Chiefs’ OL Lucas Niang Out For Rest Of Season

January 2nd, 2022 at 6:31pm CST by Ely Allen

According to a tweet from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Andy Reid informed reporters, after the Chiefs’ loss to the Bengals today, that tackle Lucas Niang suffered a torn patellar tendon. Worries were high for the second-year lineman when he needed to be carted off early in the first quarter. Unfortunately, this type of injury not only prevents Niang from returning this year, but, even after extensive rehabilitation, it could hamper Niang for years to come.

Niang was a third-round pick for the Chiefs two years ago, but was one of several players who opted out of the 2020-21 NFL season due to COVID-19 concerns. In what is effectively his rookie season, Niang has been a key player on the line, starting 8 games this season while dealing with some injuries and spending some time on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Kansas City was already short their other starting tackle, Orlando Brown, as he was scratched early this morning with a calf injury. The Chiefs pushed guard Joe Thuney to left tackle and relied on Andrew Wylie at right tackle. Wylie has been filling in for Niang this year and Kansas City will likely continue to depend on him into the playoffs. The loss of Brown is much more concerning for the immediate future and they will hope to get him back in time for a January run.

As for Niang, a speedy and efficient recovery is the best hope. Tears of the patellar tendon have a penchant for ruining careers. While players have been known to rehab and return, few have looked like their former selves after. Players like former Giants’ receiver Victor Cruz and former Buccaneers’ running back Cadillac Williams have returned to play only to look like shadows of their former selves. Longtime former Patriots’ linebacker Jerod Mayo retired shortly after his diagnosis.

Bears’ tight end Jimmy Graham is a rare example of a player who returned to play and continued being his dominant self. After Graham was traded to the Seahawks, he never quite reached the thousand-yards-receiving-coupled-with-double-digit-touchdown seasons of his days with the Saints, but, after tearing his right patellar tendon in his first season in Seattle, Graham returned to Pro Bowl play each of the next two years and set a Seahawks’ franchise record for single season touchdowns by a tight end with 10 in 2017.

We obviously hope for a best case scenario outcome like this as Niang deals with one of football’s biggest nemeses. Torn patellar tendons have ruined too many careers before they began. Our hopes go out to Lucas as he prepares to tackle a daunting injury and we wish him a long and healthy career.

AFC Rumors: Chiefs, Sutton, Harry, Jaguars

July 6th, 2021 at 11:48am CST by Sam Robinson

Following Super Bowl LV’s blocking debacle, the Chiefs moved aggressively to bolster their offensive line. In addition to trading for Orlando Brown Jr. to play left tackle, Kansas City signed Joe Thuney to play left guard, added Kyle Long out of retirement and drafted Trey Smith in the sixth round. Longtime Chiefs right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is also back after his opt-out season, and the team placed an original-round RFA tender on Andrew Wylie and re-signed veteran Mike Remmers.

Though Wylie finished the season as an overmatched right tackle against Shaquil Barrett, he has started 35 games for the Chiefs over the past three years. But the Chiefs’ new guard glut now has the former UDFA on the roster bubble, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. Wylie’s best hope is a backup gig, with Teicher adding that it is Smith who is battling Duvernay-Tardif for the Chiefs’ starting right guard job. A blood clot issue hampered Smith at Tennessee, but he bounced back to earn first-team All-SEC acclaim at guard in 2019 and ’20. Smith’s past medical issue damaged his draft stock, but the Chiefs appear to be considering starting two rookies — Smith and second-round center Creed Humphrey — this season.

Here is the latest from around the AFC:

Chiefs’ Andrew Wylie Signs RFA Tender

May 11th, 2021 at 4:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Much has changed on the Chiefs’ offensive line since Andrew Wylie suited up for Super Bowl LV. Despite the team’s near-complete overhaul up front, Wylie will be back in the fold.

The three-year veteran signed his restricted free agent tender Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Barring an extension, Wylie will earn $2.133MM this season. The Chiefs gave Wylie an original-round tender in March.

Since extending that tender offer, the AFC champions have been busy up front. While Wylie has been a primary guard starter in each of his three Chiefs seasons, the team gave Joe Thuney a guard-record contract and brought former Pro Bowler Kyle Long out of retirement. Longtime right guard starter Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is also expected to play in 2021. A doctor, Duvernay-Tardif was the first NFLer to opt out of last season; he focused on his other career amid the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chiefs also drafted Tennessee prospect Trey Smith in Round 6. Smith was widely viewed as a player whose talent warranted a higher-round selection, but medical red flags pushed him down the draft board.

While each of these non-Thuney cogs bring some uncertainty, the Chiefs have beefed up this position considerably this offseason. Wylie, 26, has started 35 games as a pro. Pro Football Focus graded the Eastern Michigan product as a top-30 guard in 2018 and ’19 but slotted him near the bottom at the position last season.

The Chiefs plugged Wylie in at right tackle for Super Bowl LV, following Eric Fisher‘s Achilles tear. That did not go well. But Wylie will have an opportunity to re-establish his value in 2021, ahead of a potential unrestricted free agency bid next year.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/16/21

March 16th, 2021 at 6:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Tomorrow is the deadline for NFL teams to extend tender offers to their own restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents. We’ll keep tabs on the latest here:

RFAs

Tendered: 

Non-Tendered:

West Notes: Cards, Hawks, Raiders, Lindsay

September 29th, 2020 at 3:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals‘ defensive resurgence will be tested this week. Budda Baker is dealing with a torn thumb UCL, and Kliff Kingsbury expects the high-priced safety to undergo surgery soon, Howard Balzer of SI.com notes. Baker is expected to miss at least Sunday’s game against the Panthers, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, but given that this injury sidelined Drew Brees five weeks and will shelve Jalen Reagor longer, a multiweek absence would not be surprising. Baker confirmed surgery is in the cards (Twitter link). The fourth-year safety, however, played all but one of the Cards’ defensive snaps against the Lions — despite having sustained this injury previously.

An interesting name has surfaced as a possible replacement. The Cardinals brought in T.J. Ward for a workout, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Ward interestingly played three seasons with the Broncos, serving as one of the anchors for Denver’s No Fly Zone Super Bowl-winning secondary, but did not make their 53-man roster in Vance Joseph‘s first year as the team’s head coach. The then-Joseph-led Broncos cut the veteran safety in 2017, leading Ward to the Buccaneers. Joseph is now the Cardinals’ DC. Ward, 33, has not played since the 2017 season.

Here is the latest from the West divisions:

  • Pete Carroll said during a radio interview Chris Carson has a Grade 1 knee sprain, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes (on Twitter) the Seahawks‘ starting running back is in line to miss one or two games. A questionable tackle from Cowboys defensive lineman Trysten Hill, which included a post-play twist of Carson’s leg, led to the injury. Carson has dealt with injuries during his time as Seattle’s starter — including a broken leg in 2017 and a season-ending hip malady last year — but has only missed three games over the past two seasons. The Seahawks have Rashaad Penny on their PUP list, leaving free agent addition Carlos Hyde as the next man up.
  • Seahawks first-round rookie Jordyn Brooks suffered a knee injury as well, but he did not suffer ACL damage and should return this season. Brooks is recovering from an MCL sprain, per Rapoport (on Twitter). The first-year linebacker will likely miss a game or two.
  • Raiders first-round cornerback Damon Arnette is visiting a thumb specialist Tuesday, and Rapoport notes he could miss up to six weeks (Twitter link). This was an aggravation of a previous injury, with Arnette having broken his thumb prior to the regular season’s outset. Arnette fell awkwardly on the injured thumb during Sunday’s game against the Patriots.
  • Second-year Raiders safety Johnathan Abram played through an AC joint sprain Sunday, but questions about the injury persist. Abram collided with a TV cart during the Raiders’ Week 2 win over the Saints, and the NFL has engaged in discussions with ESPN about where the network’s carts can be during games, per Pelissero and Rapoport. The cart was closer to the field because of the COVID-19 pandemic restricting cheerleaders, photographers and other personnel from the sideline. Abram missed almost all of last season following an injury during the Raiders’ Week 1 game on a Monday night.
  • The Broncos are now down five of their six Pro Bowlers, after Jurrell Casey‘s season-ending biceps tear. But that number of injured standouts could be reduced to four soon. Phillip Lindsay returned to practice last week and may be on track to face the Jets on Thursday, Mike Klis of 9News notes. Lindsay has been battling turf toe since suffering the injury during Denver’s opener.
  • The stomach pains that caused Chiefs guard Andrew Wylie to be transported to the hospital prior to Monday night’s Chiefs-Ravens game are believed to have stemmed from appendicitis and not a COVID-related concern, Pelissero tweets.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/16/20

March 16th, 2020 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Monday’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions will be posted below. Deals will be updated throughout the day.

RFAs

Tendered at original-round level:

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

  • Chiefs: TE David Wells
Load More Posts