Mike Remmers and Austin Wylie -- the most vital Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV not named Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Tyrann Mathieu, or Chris Jones.
Why? They'll be tasked with protecting the edges of Mahomes' pocket against the Buccaneers accomplished pass rush. And after a serious injury to left tackle Eric Fisher, Remmers will flip over from right tackle to the left side, and Wylie will kick out from right guard to right tackle. Major offensive line reshuffling for the Chiefs for their quest to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl winners in 15 years.
To get a better understanding of what these two bring to the field, here's scouting reports on each heading into Super Bowl LV.
LT Mike Remmers
Background: Undrafted out of Oregon State in 2012, the Chiefs are Remmers' ninth team in 11 NFL seasons. Before this run of reliable right tackle play in place of the injured Mitchell Schwartz, the height of Remmers' career came as the starting right tackle in Carolina with the Panthers. Predominantly a right tackle in his career, Remmers has played some right guard and most recently left tackle against the Bills in the AFC title game.
Scouting report: Remmers is still one spry cat at 31 years old, and because of his lateral agility, he loves quick setting defensive ends, meaning he's often aggressive in pass protection, sliding outward inside of backward on an arc, widely known as a kick slide. While risky, it often gives Remmers the upper hand immediately, because the defenders are surprised to feel contact that early in the snap. For the run, his lateral quickness is a real weapon for him, because he's far from a road-grader.
But he's savvy, and mixes his sets, occasionally gliding backward, taking a more methodical approach, and it's rare to see him lunge at the edge rusher. His punch timing has been very consistent with the Chiefs. Remmers isn't overly powerful and can be beaten to the inside, but there's a good deal of recovery capability to his game. He shouldn't be labeled as the most athletic nor the most powerful blocker, so Remmers is completely content getting a hand on a defender to push him past Mahomes on an outside speed rush or just disrupt him enough to shove him into a guard or the center if that defensive end takes an inside route.
Remmers looks precisely like a well-experienced blocker who has been able to play at his best in Kansas City because he still can get off the ball in a hurry, and he doesn't rush anything.
RT Andrew Wylie
Background: Another undrafted free agent (Eastern Michigan, 2017), Wylie spent time on three different teams before landing with the Chiefs that same season but made his NFL debut the following season at guard. In 2018, he played in all 16 regular season games for Kansas City. In 2019, Wylie hopped between left and right guard but was a fixture of the latter position this season in front of Patrick Mahomes.
In every outing, Wylie played right guard except 98 snaps in the Week 15 win over the New Orleans Saints, when he, in fact, did played right tackle for the duration of that contest.
Scouting report: At 6-6 and 309 pounds, Wylie has tackle size and length, important physical attributes that help him play on the outside. When watching any blocker, the speed at the snap lays the foundation for his first impression -- and Wylie fires out of his stance rapidly while staying under control. In the run game, Wylie maneuvers and executes his duties like a guard, a positive for Kansas City's run game.
He's not the smoothest mover in pass protection, but he's far from heavy-footed. Wylie loves deploying a one-arm straight arm into the middle of the chest plate of the edge rusher, and typically makes first contact with that move. It allows him to feel where the defender is moving in his rush, so his lower half knows where it needs to be to stay in front of the assignment.
Wylie's decently balanced with a quality anchor for a backup tackle and long-time guard. At times, he can be pushed back into Mahomes rather easily, but because of his natural balance, constantly moving feet, and go-to, rather effective straight arm, he isn't noticeably susceptible pass-rushing moves.
More often than not, Wylie's reps aren't pretty. They're not textbook. But an underrated athlete with sound technique and solid recovery skills allow him to be play respectably at right tackle despite his years inside at guard.
