Free agent offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz has signed a five-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Schwartz hasn't missed a snap in four seasons with the team that drafted him in 2012 and became a real leader on the line, so much so that many felt the Browns would use the franchise tag on the key starter.
Chiefs land OT Mitchell Schwartz with 5-year deal after Browns rescind offer
The Browns also lost Alex Mack in free agency Wednesday.
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But instead, Cleveland let Schwartz reach free agency and reportedly pulled its offer Wednesday. The Browns already lost star center Alex Mack to the Atlanta Falcons earlier in the day.
Schwartz was ranked among PFF’s Top 75 free agents in 2016, coming in at No. 33, for his reliability and pass protection ability. They noted dropbacks affecting his pressure totals, but those stats are outliers of overall efficiency. Add to that the lack of consistency that is the Browns, but Schwartz has consistency in spades.
Schwartz got a little taste of the limelight in December when Johnny Manziel mistook him for a wideout. He didn't make it very far downfield as an ineligible receiver, but it was still a good catch by the big guy.
Schwartz is a rare case of an above-average starting offensive tackle making it to the open market. His value there was always greater than taking an extension with the Browns before seeing what kind of market there would be for him. He will be 27 years old when the 2016 season gets underway, with plenty of football ahead of him. He joins a Chiefs team that has been to the playoffs in two of the last three years.
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