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The Kansas City Chiefs appear to have a choice to make between free-agent guards Geoff Schwartz and Jon Asamoah this offseason. Asamoah began the 2013 season as the starter, suffered an injury and Schwartz played so well Asamoah could not get his job back. Both players are free agents this offseason.
Could the New York Giants, in dire need of interior offensive linemen, benefit from the Chiefs' quandary? Since the Chiefs basically chose Schwartz over Asamoah let's assume they will do the same this offseason, which would leave Asamoah looking for a new employer.
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Asamoah, 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, will be only 26 next season. He just completed his fourth season in Kansas City, where he was a full-time starter in 2011 and 2012. He started nine games in 2013 as a calf injury and, ultimately, Schwartz's play, pushed him to the sidelines.
Here are Asamoah's Pro Football Focus grades the past three seasons:
- 2011 (+8.9): In 1,089 snaps Asamoah surrendered two sacks. His pass-blocking score was +13.5, but his run-blocking was only -6.9.
- 2012: (+15.0): That score placed Asamoah 10th overall among guards who played at least 25 percent of their team's snaps. In 1,022 snaps Asamoah surrendered three sacks, scored +3.7 in pass protection and +8.0 in run-blocking.
- 2013 (+6.6): In 682 snaps Asamoah gave up just one sack, had a +4.6 pass-protection grade and a+0.5 run-blocking grade. That got him benched in Kansas City, where Schwartz scored a dominant +18.6 while starting seven games. The Giants' best score by an offensive lineman was the +7.1 earned by rookie right tackle Justin Pugh. No other regular offensive lineman scored in the plus column.
Here is the low-down on Asamoah from Joel Thorman, editor of SB Nation's Chiefs, website, Arrowhead Pride:
Jon Asamoah is an interesting situation. Entering this season, many Chiefs fans would've pointed to him as the Chiefs best offensive lineman even with the franchise-tagged Branden Albert. Asamoah was young, sturdy, tough and reliable. He was a multi-year starter drafted high (third round). There didn't seem to be much to complain about except that he was likely going to be expensive as a free agent.
But then Andy Reid came to town and we learned a little more about his offense and the offensive linemen he likes to have. Asamoah was benched near the end of the season for Geoff Schwartz, who was apparently a better fit. I do not think Asamoah suddenly lost all of his talent so I suspect someone out there is going to get a pretty good guard. It should also be noted that there was never any reported issues between Asamoah and Schwartz, even though Asamoah was losing his job. I don't remember him complaining once.
Because he lost his starting job midway through last year, I wonder if he'll come at a cheaper rate. At any rate, Asamoah would be a good player for the Giants to pursue in free agency given his age and experience.
