Alex Smith couldn't have timed his made-for-life, four-year contract extension any better.
As we pointed out on Friday's edition of the Around The NFL Podcast, the Kansas Chiefs' offensive line is in shambles.
After Jurrell Casey and Derrick Morgan spent Week 1 harassing Smith, Chiefs fans were left to wonder which of their ineffective starting offensive linemen would be replaced when right tackle Donald Stephenson returns from his four-game suspension.
They got their answer Friday, when coach Andy Reid announced that Jeff Allen will undergo bicep-tendon surgery Saturday. The team later announced Friday that Allen was placed on injured reserve.
A 27-game starter at left guard the previous two years, Allen had been standing in for Stephenson at right tackle. The Chiefs will now turn to veteran Ryan Harris to start opposite disappointing 2013 No. 1 overall draft pick Eric Fisher.
With guards Mike McGlynn and Zach Fulton also looking overmatched, Smith will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his underrated scrambling ability behind an offensive line that stacks up as the league's most porous.
It's going to be a long season in the City of Fountains.
The latest "Around The NFL Podcast" recaps the Steelers-Ravens game and previews the other 15 games in Week 2.
