For the Kansas City Chiefs, “good enough” is probably not going to cut it anymore. The 2016 AFC West Champions only stumbled into that title thanks to Derek Carr’s broken leg with the Oakland Raiders late in the season. Head coach Andy Reid has built a winner in Kansas City and that’s unlikely to change. But just getting to the playoffs and exiting quickly has been a staple of the franchise since the 1980s.
Has Andy Reid done enough to get the Chiefs over the hump this off-season? He’s had to do it by himself since the team just promoted Brett Veach to general manager on Monday.
Free Agents Kept
Daniel Sorenson, Defensive Back
Eric Berry, Safety
Josh Mauga, Linebacker
Free Agents Gained
Bennie Logan, Defensive Tackle, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles
Gavin Escobar, Tight End, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys
Andrew Tiller, Offensive Lineman, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers
Steven Terrell, Safety, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks
Cam Thomas, Defensive Tackle, formerly of the Los Angeles Rams
Free Agents/Players Lost
Jamaal Charles, Running Back, signed with the Denver Broncos
Knile Davis, Running Back. signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Nick Foles, Quarterback, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles
Dontari Poe, Defensive Tackle, signed with the Atlanta Falcons
Jeremy Maclin, Wide Receiver, signed with the Baltimore Ravens
T.J. Barnes, Defensive Tackle, currently a free agent
2017 NFL Draft
Round 1: Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback, Texas Tech
Round 2: Tanoh Kpassagnon, Defensive End, Villanova
Round 3: Kareem Hunt, Running Back, Toledo
Round 4: Jehu Chesson, Wide Receiver, Michigan
Round 5: Ukeme Eligwe, Linebacker, Georgia Southern
Round 6: Leon McQuay III, Safety, USC
Proposed Offensive Starters
QB: Alex Smith
RB: Spencer Ware
WR: Tyreek Hill
WR: Chris Conley
WR: Albert Wilson
TE: Travis Kelce
LT: Eric Fisher
RT: Mitchell Schwartz
LG: Parker Ehinger
RG: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
C: Mitch Morse
Offensive Outlook
Tossing Jeremy Maclin out with the trash served notice that the Chiefs really think Tyreek Hill can be a legitimate wide receiver and not just a gadget guy. Either that, or they suddenly believe Albert Wilson is going to tear up the league. Regardless of how exciting Hill was on the field last season, this might be one of the worst wide receiver units in the NFL. Neither Hill nor Conley hit 600 yards receiving last season and only tight end Travis Kelce crossed 1,000 yards.
The Chiefs have a two-headed backfield with Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West, but Ware is going to get the bulk of the carries and is a safe bet to reach the first 1,000-yard season of his career. Don’t be surprised to see Kareem Hunt get his chance at some carries. West had a solid season last year, averaging 4.3 yards per carry, but he’s not entrenched.
Alex Smith has become one of the most underrated quarterbacks, if not players, in the league. Last year he completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 3,502 yards and 15 touchdowns, playing with just one elite offensive weapon (Kelce) and a hobbled Maclin. He’s smart, efficient and doesn’t turn the ball over. But he’s not a guy that’s going to push a team over the top.
Proposed Defensive Starters
DE: Rakeem Nunez-Roches
DE: Chris Jones
DT: Bennie Logan
OLB: Justin Houston
OLB: Dee Ford
ILB: Derrick Johnson
ILB: Ramik Wilson
CB: Marcus Peters
CB: Phillip Gaines
FS: Eric Berry
SS: Ron Parker
Defensive Outlook
Kansas City settled on a defensive line at the end of the last season and had to replace the best part of it when Dontari Poe exited via free agency. Enter Bennie Logan, who should fit right into Poe’s role. This isn’t a unit that’s going to light up the stat sheet. They’re job is to keep the offensive lineman off the linebackers.
Speaking of those linebackers, Justin Houston should be healthy to start the season to wreak havoc again on every team the Chiefs play. Houston only played in five games last season and still had 21 tackles and four sacks. While Houston was down, Kansas City discovered what they had on the bench in former first round pick Dee Ford, who lead the team with 10 sacks. I’ve put Ford ahead of Tamba Hali as a starter. Hali just signed a contract extension so he isn’t going anywhere, but his role might be more situational here in the twilight of his career. Inside linebacker Derrick Johnson too, like Hali, is getting up there. Johnson is about to start his 12th NFL season and is coming off another stellar campaign, recording a team-leading 90 tackles a sack, three passes defended and one pick last season. Ramik Wilson, in just his second season, has shown he’s Johnson’s heir apparent and was third on the team in tackles last year even though he only played in 11 games.
The Chiefs boast one of the best defensive backfields in the game. Eric Berry is probably midway through a Hall of Fame career and third-year corner Marcus Peters is in the beginnings of crafting his own. Ron Parker is just one of a seemingly endless supply of safeties the Chiefs continue to develop. Cornerback Philip Gaines started five games last season and, if the unit has a weak link, it’s him. He defended seven passes last year. It’ll be a hell of a lot more this season.
Grade: D-
The Chiefs did absolutely nothing to improve their team for 2017. While you could argue they drafted with the future in mind, it won’t help against an improving AFC West that could see all four teams compete for playoff spots.
O/U wins: 8.5
Preseason Schedule
Week 1: San Francisco 49ers
Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 3: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 4: Tennessee Titans
Regular Season Schedule
Week 1: at New England Patriots
Key game: The Patriots are the defending Super Bowl Champions and will likely be raising their banner in this game. If the Chiefs could ruin their party, they could prove my off-season grade completely wrong and climb atop the AFC in a hurry.
Week 2: Philadelphia Eagles
Week 3: at Los Angeles Chargers
Week 4: Washington Redskins
Week 5: at Houston Texans
Week 6: Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 7: at Oakland Raiders
Week 8: Denver Broncos
Week 9: at Dallas Cowboys
Week 10: BYE
Week 11: at New York Giants
Week 12: Buffalo Bills
Week 13: at New York Jets
Week 14: Oakland Raiders
Week 15: Los Angeles Chargers
Week 16: Miami Dolphins
Week 17: at Denver Broncos
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