Chiefs Blaine Gabbert glorifies everything new addition brings to the team
The Kansas City Chiefs' new backup quarterback is giving another new player the ultimate confidence heading into the 2023 season.I wouldn't say there is drama with the Chiefs, but I guess you could say there is a situation with the offensive line. Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith have been the subject of most conversations involving […]
The Kansas City Chiefs' new backup quarterback is giving another new player the ultimate confidence heading into the 2023 season.
I wouldn't say there is drama with the Chiefs, but I guess you could say there is a situation with the offensive line. Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith have been the subject of most conversations involving the Chiefs and their 2023 season.
For Taylor, he got paid left tackle money but will now likely be right back on the right side. For Smith, he wasn't his best last season and is supposed to anchor down Mahomes' blind side.
Donovan Smith is coming from blocking for Tom Brady the last few seasons to Patrick Mahomes this season. But last year, he dealt with a lot of different things. One of his former teammates on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, Blaine Gabbert, is doing nothing but praising him, which in return should give Smith a huge amount of confidence going into this tough 2023 season.
"Extremely gifted, one of the most athletic, physically gifted left tackles that I've seen in going on 13 years now," Blaine Gabbert told the media. "And, I told Patrick when we all got here, I was like, he's going to help this team a lot. He's going to help solidify that front, with JT [Jawaan Taylor] and Donny on the edges and our interior guys that's got to be the best, if not the best offensive line in the NFL."
The Chiefs love physical tackles. They like guys who can get after it and are athletic. Sure, he wasn't great last year, and now he plays for Cincinnati, but Orlando Brown Jr. was athletic. Jawaan Taylor is athletic; even Wanya Morris, the rookie right tackle, is extremely athletic. The Chiefs have a type, and it sounds like Smith fits that mold.
But, as I previously said, he did go through some things last season. There is a big reason the Chiefs got him for as cheap as they did: he didn't have a great season in 2022. But there was a good reason behind it. Instead of sitting out when he was injured, he pushed through.
"Injuries are a part of the game. And there, sometimes they're hard to play through, and Donny's an extremely tough player," Gabbert said. "As you guys know, he's been one of the most durable offensive linemen through the first eight or nine years of his career, and, you know, some things just, he got nicked up last year, so it was a down year, and I know he's going to want to play well this year and he's going to play well. He's a great friend; he's a great football player."
When Donovan Smith spoke with the media two weeks ago, you could tell that everything Gabbert said rang true. He seems like a guy that truly wants to win. Luckily for him, the Chiefs have done a lot of that lately.
This season will be challenging for him and the Chiefs. This will be one of their toughest seasons yet. They have had many more changes this offseason than last offseason. They will try to be the first team since 2005 to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
This season will be especially tough for Smith. He is coming off an injury-riddled season and is on a cheap one-year "prove it" deal. Let's hope he proves it.
