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Chiefs RG Trey Smith seeking improvement, consistency ahead of playoffs

After helping the Kansas City Chiefs transform their offensive line into an asset after their 2020 season, rookie Trey Smith is focused on the big picture ahead of the playoffs. Speaking to the media after practice on Thursday, he told reporters that he is less than pleased with his play lately, and is trying to learn in order to build something special over the course of what he hopes to be a long career.

“I think there’s always more to achieve,” Smith said of the play up front after 16 games. “You could play for 10-plus years and there’s always something you can do better, something you can learn. I’m not satisfied with where I’m at. There are a lot of things I can do better. Being more consistent in my game and that’s once again, not only on the field on Sundays or Saturdays this week, but it’s every day in practice, it’s building better habits every day as I go on.”

Despite the self-deprecation in his comments, Smith has exceeded every expectation this season, especially given that Kansas City drafted him in the sixth round back in April. As part of a unit that fielded five first-year Chiefs and one of three players on the line that took their first snaps in the NFL in Week 1, Smith has made exceptional strides in 2021. He should be able to carry his momentum into the playoffs, where he is expecting the competition to get that much fiercer.

“Yeah, absolutely. That’s pretty true for college and NFL aspect,” Smith said of the competition in elimination games. “Playoffs will be another level of competition of people competing out there. But once again, coach Andy Heck, Corey Matthaei, they do a great job of prepping us week in and week out, letting us do things we need to do on the field and have us prepared to go out and do it.”

As Kansas City looks to win their final game of the regular season, Smith looks to be a key fixture in keeping Patrick Mahomes safe in the pocket and creating holes in the running game. He was quite excited for the first matchup with the Broncos this season. With more improvement on the horizon for the promising rookie, Smith’s development could prove to be one of the most intriguing storylines to come out of the Chiefs’ 2021 campaign.

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