They were once at the top of the NFL.

The Chiefs have acquired Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Brown from the Ravens for a package of draft picks.

The Kansas City Chiefs already have spent the offseason rebuilding an offensive line ravaged by injuries and then dominated by Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl.

(AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)If it seemed as if NFL teams have been shedding contracts nearly as fast as signing them in recent weeks that’s because it’s almost true. “I think the unprecedented part being, for the first time in modern era, the cap decreases instead of increases,” Rams general manager Les Snead said. Adoree Jackson got a three-year deal worth a reported $39 million from the Giants after Tennessee refused to pay his $10.24 million fifth-year option. In one of the more curious cases, Miami cut Kyle Van Noy one year into his four-year, $51 million deal, leaving about $36 million unpaid. Van Noy then returned to New England on a two-year, $12 million deal and the Patriots will also get a fourth-round compensation pick in next month’s draft based on the deal Van Noy signed last March.

– The Kansas City Chiefs released starting offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz on Thursday as they sought to squeeze under the salary cap. Fisher and Schwartz were instrumental in helping the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers for their first Super Bowl title in 50 years. Fisher tore his Achilles tendon in the AFC title game and Schwartz missed half the season with a back injury. AdThe Chiefs signed the 31-year-old Schwartz in 2016 to bookend with Fisher on a revamped offensive line. Now, the Chiefs intend to rebuild their offensive line without Fisher and Schwartz factoring in.

Now, the Chiefs will have to take a much different tact if they want to make their third consecutive Super Bowl. While their core group is signed for the next several years, the Chiefs have a raft of important contributors that are due to hit free agency. Ad“Like all teams, we'll get busy here going down the road,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday. “Every year is different because of your cap situation and what you have and what you need,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. WELCOME BACKThe Chiefs should get some help from guys that were injured or opted out of this past season.

The Buccaneers didn't even give him time to skim their defense in the Super Bowl. He was 26 of 49 for 270 yards and two interceptions in a 31-9 blowout that denied the Chiefs back-to-back titles. “They had a good game plan,” said Mahomes, whose quarterback rating of 52.3 was by far the worst of his career. The first-half numbers were striking: Mahomes was 9 of 19 for 67 yards, while Tampa Bay counterpart Tom Brady had dominated the Chiefs defense for 140 yards passing and three TDs in staking the Buccaneers to a 21-6 lead. “To the last snap,” Reid said, “he was trying to win that football game.”It was just that kind of night for Mahomes.

Tampa Bay gets another shot at Hill and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. It was the second and most impressive of three scores for Hill, who was the star of Kansas City’s 27-24 victory at Tampa Bay in Week 12. Tampa Bay gets another shot at Hill and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl next Sunday, the first rematch in the NFL finale in nearly a decade. Davis was burned repeatedly, including on consecutive TD passes from Patrick Mahomes to Hill (75 and 44 yards) in the first quarter. Down three with 4:10 to play, Tampa turned to its defense to get a stop and get Brady the ball back.

Kansas City Chiefs guard Stefen Wisniewski celebrates at the end of the AFC championship NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs were supposed to have a talented lineup of millionaires, each a seasoned veteran of the rough-and-tumble NFL, protecting their half-billion dollar quarterback as they defended their Super Bowl title this season. Instead, they'll have a motley cast of late-round draft picks, journeymen and castoffs making up their offensive line. Austin Reiter was the expected center with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif at right guard and Mitchell Schwartz, also a former All-Pro and one of the league's most durable players, handling right tackle. Get it to my playmakers in space and let them make some good things happen.”___More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

A limited audience at Arrowhead Stadium watch as the New York Jets play the Kansas City Chiefs in the second half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. – Now that Election Day is over, Patrick Mahomes can turn his focus back to the football season. As the nation awaited final results in several battleground states Wednesday, the quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs still could rest well knowing he did his part to ensure people of Kansas City had a chance to let their voices be heard. Chiefs coach Andy Reid was among the first to cast his ballot at Arrowhead Stadium on Tuesday. The Chiefs are coming off a sound thrashing of the winless New York Jets while the Panthers have lost three straight games.

– Patrick Mahomes did just about everything for the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. On the second, Mahomes claimed to see Hill “a little banged up” and decided to carry him — horse-and-jockey style — back to the Kansas City sideline. While the Jets answered with the first of three first-half field goals, the Chiefs kept scoring touchdowns. Mahomes hit Robinson from 26 yards out for his fourth TD pass, giving Kansas City a 28-9 lead late in the third quarter. Mahomes capped his big day with his second touchdown throw to Hill early in the fourth.

(AP Photo/John Froschauer)Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay has cleared concussion protocol and will play against the Los Angeles Chargers. Bears: WR Ted Ginn Jr., DB Duke Shelley, RB Artavis Pierce, OL Cody Whitehair, WR Riley Ridley, LB Trevis Gipson. Seahawks: RB Chris Carson, RB Carlos Hyde, DE Benson Mayowa, CB Ugo Amadi, SS Jamal Adams, CB Shaquill Griffin. ___LOS ANGELES RAMS AT MIAMIRams: RB Raymond Calais, OL Brian Allen, WR Trishton Jackson, TE Brycen Hopkins, DL A’Shawn Robinson. Dolphins: RB/WR Lynn Bowden Jr., RB Salvon Ahmed, FB Chandler Cox, CB Jamal Perry, RB Jordan Howard, DE Jason Strowbridge.

“But if teams are going to play us like this, we’ve got to show we can run the football.”Mission accomplished. Led by Edwards-Helaire’s 161 yards rushing, the Chiefs finished with 245 — the most since Mahomes took over as starter in 2017. The Chiefs, who were originally scheduled to play three games in 11 days, wound up having two more days of rest than the Bills. During that drive, Buffalo’s Justin Zimmer stripped the ball from Edwards-Helaire at the Kansas City 30. Kansas City had four drives of 10 plays or more and dominated time of possession by more than 15 minutes.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. As the new player representative for the Chiefs, Mahomes had a major voice in negotiations between the NFL and its players' union on return-to-play protocols. I think the whole point of 2020 is you never know what's going to happen the next day, Mahomes said. I think it's a fun time to be a Kansas City Chief and it's because 15 is in the building, for sure.Not just be a Kansas City Chief, but be a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs. It's exciting to know that he's going to be here forever, Chiefs offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz said.