5 Trey Smith replacements if Chiefs lose star guard in free agency

The Kansas City Chiefs came up just shy of the threepeat, making it all the way to the Super Bowl only to suffer an all-time stompdown from the Philadelphia Eagles.

Worse yet, the Chiefs enter the offseason with limited cap space and a number of key free agents that the team needs to retain.

One player hitting NFL free agency is right guard Trey Smith. Smith is one of the team's best offensive linemen and at just 25 years old, retaining him on a long-term deal would set the team up nicely for the future.

But it seems more and more apparent as free agency approaches that some team is going to come in with a big money offer for Smith that the Chiefs are unable to counter. Assuming the team loses Smith this offseason, who are potential replacements for the left guard?

Kevin Zeitler

The same thing that would lead Smith out of Kansas City — money — is the same thing that could keep the team from signing someone like Will Fries or Teven Jenkins as replacements in free agency. Instead, the team will need to look for veteran players who can come at a discount.

Detroit's Kevin Zeitler is one of those names. The 34-year-old has bounced around the NFL since he was first drafted in 2012 by the Bengals, but he remains a talented guard as evidenced by a 2023 Pro Bowl selection with the Ravens.

Zeitler, who had the third-highest PFF grade of any guard last season with the Lions, should be affordable because of his age. He wouldn't be a long-term solution, but it's unlikely that the Chiefs can find a long-term solution in free agency. They'll need to couple a veteran signing with a mid-round draft pick who can sit for a year or two.

Brandon Scherff

Brandon Scherff could finally return to the Midwest.

The Iowa product was the No. 5 overall pick in 2015 by Washington, where he made five Pro Bowl appearances before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars over the past three seasons.

Scherff has played 140 regular-season NFL games over his 10 seasons. He's played in four playoff games. A move to Kansas City would give Scherff a viable shot at a Super Bowl ring for the first time in his career.

There are some concerns about Scherff's run blocking, but he had PFF's 12th-best pass-blocking grade among guards last season. Ahead of him on the list? Chiefs guard Joe Thuney. Having both on the interior of the offensive line could go a long way toward keeping pressure off Patrick Mahomes.

Zack Martin

Zack Martin was once the NFL's best guard, making seven All-Pro teams and nine Pro Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys.

However, 2024 saw Martin fail to make the Pro Bowl for just the second time in his career as he was limited to 10 games due to an ankle injury.

Even before the injury, Martin wasn't his dominant self along the Cowboys offensive line. Couple that with the ankle issue and Martin's not likely to have teams beating down his doors with big offers this offseason.

Betting on a Martin bounce-back season might not be the ideal solution for the Chiefs, but it certainly wouldn't be the worst option.

Donovan Jackson

The Chiefs current offensive line features two players that the team drafted in Smith and center Creed Humphrey, so maybe the right replacement for Smith is to draft a guard in the second round.

There are a handful of options at guard including Alabama's Tyler Booker and Purdue's Marcus Mbow, but Ohio State's Donovan Jackson is the best name on the draft board.

If Jackson is there when the Chiefs are on the clock in the second round, the team has to at least consider him as an option. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound guard is a hard guy to move and excelled in run blocking with the Buckeyes. He's still a little raw as a pass blocker, but the tools are there.

It seems like every year, a team makes a draft day trade with the Chiefs that largely benefits Kansas City. Could KC trade down with its first-round pick and snag Jackson in the middle of the second?

C.J. Hanson

This isn't the replacement option that the Chiefs would prefer, but sometimes you just have to go with who is on your roster.

The Chiefs spent a seventh-round pick on Holy Cross guard C.J. Hanson in 2024. As a rookie, he appeared in just one game, playing the majority of the team's Week 18 loss to Denver when the starters were resting.

Hanson is still largely a mystery after coming from the FCS ranks, but he's a relatively agile player for his size.

And let's not forget that the Chiefs have found diamonds in the rough before. Trey Smith was a sixth-round pick for Kansas City, then went on to start immediately. Maybe Hanson is the next player to emerge from Day 3 of the NFL Draft and become a solid contributor for Kansas City.