2018 K.C. Chiefs Offense: Strengths and Weaknesses

2018 K.C. Chiefs Offense:

Strengths and Weaknesses

by Paul Pulley

I want to take a look at the Kansas City Chiefs and see if we can identify what can potentially be their strengths and possibly their weaknesses. I believe that with the salary cap and roster limitations, every team in the NFL has room to improve. Every team has weaknesses to their game, it’s just that some may not be visible yet. Injuries occur, not just to the Chiefs, but to every team in the League. I believe the chances of injury of some type to a NFL player is 100%. Last season we saw the ill effects that injuries can cause teams as witnessed by watching the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans.

On the other hand, we saw teams with decent depth and good coaching overcome injuries, such as our own Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

When we are looking at position groups to try and determine if they are a projected strength or whether they could be a potential weakness, our primary focus should be on the starters but the depth of the position needs to be given consideration as well.

The Chiefs Quarterbacks

2017 1st round draft pick Patrick Mahomes II has been handed the role of starting QB for the 2018 Chiefs. While expectations are high and his potential is stratospheric, Mahomes solitary regular season start, while resulting in a win, was played primarily with reserves against an opponent whose defense was at times… less than enthusiastic.

The primary backup QB at this time appears to be Chad Henne, with Matt McGloin and UDFA Chase Litton rounding out the group.

• While Henne has plenty of experience coming into his 11th season, he actually hasn’t completed a pass in a NFL game since 2014. Henne has passed for 58 TDs in his career but has also thrown 63 interceptions.
• 2018 will be McGloins 6th NFL season as a reserve QB. McGloin has completed 58% of his career passes while throwing for both 11TDs and 11 INTs.
• Chase Litton, at 6-6 and 230 lbs., may have some potential even though he went undrafted after leaving Marshall University a year early. Then again, he might just be another Tyler Bray.

With a basically untested second year starter and less than stellar journeymen backups, the quarterback position has to be considered a weakness to start the season.

The Chiefs Wide Receivers

The Chiefs wide receivers should consist of starters Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Chris Conley. These three have to be considered one of the best trio of WRs in the league. The reserves are yet to be determined but could include Demarcus Robinson, De’Anthony Thomas and Jehu Chesson, all of which have some experience. Also, there are returning practice squad players Marcus Kemp and Gehrig Dieter who have shown promise. There are also a few UDFAs that have shown some skill in OTAs.

I believe the wide receivers will be one of the Chiefs main strengths in 2018 and hopefully for years to come.

The Chiefs Tight Ends

Without question, Travis Kelce is one of the very best tight ends in the NFL. The question is who is behind him. Retuning number two incumbent, Demetrius Harris is entering his 5th year and will probably continue to catch about half of his targets. Other than that, the Chiefs have a few guys that have done little to nothing as a pro, including Tim Wright, Alex Ellis and Jace Amaro.

• Wright hasn’t caught a pass in the NFL since 2015.
• Neither Amaro nor Ellis has caught one since 2016, where each guy managed to haul in three receptions that season.
• Also on the roster is 2018 UDFA Blake Mack from Arkansas State, a smallish TE at 6-3 and 229, he shows good athleticism but probably isn’t ready for NFL action.

Amaro, a 2014 second round draft pick by the New York Jets, showed all kinds of promise coming out of Texas Tech but never came close to living up to expectations. Hopefully he has his head on straight and can still ball.

As long as Kelce stays healthy the TEs are a strength, but heaven forbid, if Kelce would happen to go down for any extended period this group will quickly turn into a weakness.

The Chiefs Offensive Line

I believe Center Mitch Morse will be healthy by the time training camp rolls around and with that, the Chiefs will be returning at least four starting offensive linemen. If any single group of an NFL team benefits from continuity, it has to be the OL and although the left guard position may yet be in flux, the other four starters consisting of Mitchell Schwartz, Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Eric Fisher and the aforementioned Morse, will be starting on the line for the third consecutive year.

Primary candidates for the left guard position are:

• Last years starter Bryan Witzmann,
• 2016 4th round draft pick and 2016 starter Parker Ehinger and,
• Cam Erving, a former 2015 – 1st round draft pick (with the Cleveland Browns) who GM Brett Veach traded for last fall.

Jordan Devey is another OL with starting experience that is currently on the roster.

Also on the 90 man roster are Andrew Wylie and Dillon Gordon, both of which signed with the Chiefs late last year. UDFAs Bentley Spain and Ryan Hunter, along with 2018 6th round draft pick Kahlil McKenzie. McKenzie is strictly a  project as he played defensive tackle in college and while Hunter has made some noise in OTAs, that could change once the pads come on later this month.

I expect the Chiefs to retain at least seven offensive linemen with starting experience and although they may not all be the best at their respective positions, familiarity and continuity will make the whole greater than the sum of it’s parts. That being said, a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link, so the Chiefs really need to push these guys hard to find the strongest asset at the left guard spot.

With the continuity and experience, I believe the offensive line to be a strength of this years team.

The Chiefs Running Backs

Kareem Hunt, 2017 – 3rd round draft pick and returning NFL Rushing Champion, gained over 1,300 yards on the ground last season and another 455 through the air. He will undoubtably be the lead running back headed into the 2018 season.

Spencer Ware will be back from the injury that he sustained in last years pre-season and will return to RB number 2 extraordinaire. Although Ware was the Chiefs primary RB in 2016, I believe his style is best suited as a reserve and change of pace back.

Charcandrick West is mostly a receiving back and good pass protector. Damien Williams was signed by the Chiefs after playing his first four years in Miami, he appears to be a larger version of West with his best attribute as a receiver, only getting limited rushes for the Dolphins.

Also as a running back, the Chiefs signed Kerwynn Williams who is entering his 6th season. KWill spent the last 4 years in Arizona. Although not used a great deal as a pro, KWill was a good rusher at Utah St. He was also a very good receiver and kick returner, which may be what the Chiefs are primarily looking to use him as.

The final RB currently on the Chiefs roster is Darrel Williams, a 2018 UDFA from LSU. He happens to be the largest of the running backs, listed at 6-1 and 229 lbs. Darrel didn’t see a lot of carries playing behind Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice at LSU.

Lastly the Chiefs have the lead blocker and special teamer, fullback Anthony Sherman. It will be interesting to see if the Chiefs try to replace Sherman as he will turn 30 by the end of this year and he has a cap hit of $2,000,000. Sherman only played 181 snaps on offense last year with 53 of those snaps acquired in week 17.

I believe this group of running backs will be a strength to the 2018 Chiefs.

Overall the offense looks to be very promising if our number one draft pick from 2017 plays up to what most are expecting, but a couple of injuries at key positions could derail this offense very quickly.

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