KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs sent contradictory messages this week on who will start at left guard, listing Andrew Wylie as the starter on the unofficial depth chart Monday, then inking Cam Erving to two-year contract extension on Tuesday.
But on Wednesday, Reid leaned toward Wylie as the likely starter with Erving sharing playing time.
Yeah, there's a pretty good chance,” Reid said of Wylie's prospects for starting at left guard vs. the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1. “Cam we've kind of moved all over the place and we've tried to focus Andrew right in at that guard position. Both of them will get time on Sunday.”
Erving spent the vast majority of training camp at left guard while Wylie worked with the No. 2 offense. Wylie did fill in at both left guard and right guard with the first-team offense when Erving and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif missed practice time with injuries.
Wylie said he's prepared for any role the Chiefs thrust him into, whether it's starter, sixth-man or backup. He said he wouldn't be surprised if the Erving played at left guard as well.
“I just try to be ready to play any position,” Wylie said. “Of course Cam's going to get some time, Cam's an elite player along with everybody else on the O-line.”
Erving also toed the company line, not tipping his hand how the team planned to deploy their offensive line this week.
“We shall see, my man, we shall see coming into the week,” Erving said. “Right now I'm just focusing on making sure I'm prepared to play any position that I have to.”
Erving throughout training camp expressed a newfound attitude toward his versatility. Even if he starts at left guard, the Chiefs consider him their top backup at every position along the offensive line. He now considers himself a Swiss Amy knife rather a single-position player.
“If you had asked me this three or four years ago, I would have told you I was a left tackle,” Erving said. “At this point I just tell everybody I'm an offensive lineman because I've played at everyone of them, I've started at every spot out there. It's different. I just people I'm an offensive lineman.”
He credits much of that comfort stemming from the Chiefs' organization help him understanding his role on the team and its importance.
“Just a lot more stable with what's going on, just understanding what's conceptually happening on the field,” Erving said.
Making the Chiefs' opening week roster marked a special moment for Wylie. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent last season with Indianapolis. He started the season on the team's practice squad and later spent time on the practice squads with Cleveland the Los Angeles Chargers. He signed with the Chiefs practice squad in Week 17 last in the season. He called his parents upon learning the news he won a spot on the club.
“They were pretty happy,” Wylie said. “I did a lot of moving around last year so hopefully I found a spot to stay.”
He and Cam are working – by the way, congratulations to Cam on his new deal. And well deserved, he did a nice job during camp.
