No one on the Kansas City Chiefs has a better read on Donovan Smith than Blaine Gabbert. Both players come to the team after spending time together on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the past three seasons.
In that time together, Gabbert has seen Smith’s work ethic and ability up close, coming away with an extremely high opinion of him.
“Extremely gifted, one of the most athletic, physically gifted left tackles that I’ve seen in going on 13 years now,” Gabbert said of Smith. “And, I told Patrick (Mahomes) 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 (Donovan Smith) on the edges and our interior guys that’s got to be the best, if not the best offensive line in the NFL.”
Smith is coming off of what was arguably his worst season as a professional. He’s been a beacon of health throughout his career, but he played through injuries that stymied his production and play in 2023. Gabbert is certain that, even after a down year in Tampa Bay last season, Smith will make a return to form with Kansas City this year.
“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 (and) he’s a great football player.”
Whether the Chiefs managed to land their starting left tackle in Smith is to be determined, but it’s clear the team got a player that has earned the respect of his peers.
