Chiefs: 24/11

Laddie Morse

Brett Veach said it first thing when he stood up at the Championship Parade Celebration at Union Station this past Wednesday. He said:

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“So, start the season with 24 new faces — 11 of them

are rookies and many people thought this was

a retooling year.”

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What everyone wants to know now, is… what will the team look like come September… this year? So, let’s take a look at 20 of these new faces and see how many of them will be back.

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Deon Bush – a Free Safety who played for 6 years for the Chicago Bears then signed last offseason with K.C.. Had 317 (73%) of the Special Teams snaps and was in on 71 (7%) of the Defensive snaps. Signed with K.C. for $1,035,000 but made $1.5M the year before. I expect he’ll find anothe suitor for more money in 2023.

Leo Chenal – a rookie LB who came from Wisconsin and was taken with the 103rd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Had 281 Special Teams Snaps (61%) and had 261 (23%) of the defensive snaps. I expect he’ll be back and get a heavier load in 2023.

Jack Cochrane – a rookie UDFA LB, came from South Dakota and played on Special Teams only. He had 262 (65%) Special Teams snaps. I expect him back in 2023 or… he is replaced by another rookie or UDFA.

Bryan Cook – is a rookie Safety who came from the University of Cincinnati and was drafted by K.C. with pick #62 overall (second round) last year. He played on 342 (32%) of the defensive snaps and 272 (62%) of the Special Teams snaps. I expect him to return and have an expanded role in 2023.

Carlos Dunlap – a DE who was selected 54th overall by the Bengals in the 2010 NFL draft, so he’s been around for a long time. He was traded to Seattle in 2020 during the season and was signed by K.C. as a FA last offseason and made $3M with the Chiefs. He played on 572 (50%) of the defensive snaps. I don’t know if he’ll be back, but I hope so. Hopefully, winning a ring will influence him. He’s a cheap steal for the real deal at DE, even if he is a part timer. My guess is, he retires and goes out on top (Dunlap has a birthday next week and will be 34 on the 28th of February)..

Malik Herring – a DL who is a UDFA who originally signed with K.C. in 2021. K.C. must have seen some future upside because after signing him, they put him on the reserve/non-football injury list where he spent the year rehabbing from an ACL he’d suffered in a Senior Bowl practice. I don’t know if Veach was referring to Herring, but if they pick him up again, they must see more upside. Herring had 88 (19%) snaps on defense and 22 (12%) on Special Teams.

Nazeeh Johnson – is a Safety/DB who was drafted in the 7th round with the 259th pick overall. He had zero defensive snaps this year along with 96 (33%) of the Special Teams snaps. If he returns it will be because of his Special Team proficiency… or not.

Ronald Jones II – is a RB who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round (38th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft. Jones had 17 rushes and one reception (1 target) and was used far less than fans anticipated when he was signed as a FA in late March of 2022. He was to be believed that he wanted out o K.C. in lat October when he Tweeted:

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With RJII not getting the snaps he thought he deserved behind Leonard Fournette in Tampa, and then his demotion here, I have to beleive he’ll be elsewhere next year.

George Karlaftis – a DE who was taken in the first round with the 30th pick of the 2022 NFL draft out of Purdue. GK accepted after practice instruction form both veteran DEs Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap. GK was in on 730 (64%) of the defensive snaps and 70 (15%) of the Special Teams snaps. With rookie GK getting more snaps than veteran Carlos Dunlap, I have to believe he’ll get even more first team D usage in 2023.

Darian Kinnard – is an OL who was drafted out of Kentucky with the 145th pick (5th round) and had zero Offensive snaps and 21 (6%) of the Special Teams snaps. Many thought Kinnard might push one of the starters for an offensive line job this year, but he proved he wasn’t up for that task. If Veach drafts another OL this year, Kinnard is likely gone.

Trent McDuffie – McDuffie is a CB who came out of the University of Washington and was drafted by the Chiefs with the 21st pick, plus, they traded up to get him. When K.C. traded up to get McDuffie, they had to know the Buffalo Bills wanted to draft him before they could do that:

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McDuffie hurt his hamstring in week one and then was out for the next 6 weeks. When he returned, the Chiefs got the very best of him, and he helped to nail down one side of the field, while L’Jarius Sneed helped nail down the other. McDuffie will only get better and better and help K.C. to create one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Skyy Moore – is a WR who is out of Western Michigan and was drafted by K.C. in the second round with the 54th pick overall and was the 13th Wideout taken in a WR rich draft. Moore didn’t start the season out well and fumbled a couple of Punts. He was in on 313 (29%) of the Offensive snaps while he was also in 31 (7%) of the Special Teams snaps. I had predicted that Moore would be the #1 WR by year’s end but that obviously didn’t happen. Maybe next season? I’m not sure now, but his role will be elevated.

Isiah Pacheco – is a RB who out-performed his draft status which was the 251st pick in the 7th round. Pacheco said initially, that he was there to take a grown man’s job, and that’s exactly what he did. “Pop” as his team mates call him, will get an expanded roel from the outset of the 2023 season.

Justin Reid – Reid is a Safety who spent his first four season with the Houston Texans. Reid played on 1113 (97%) of the Defensive snaps for the Chiefs this year and also was in on 74 (16%) of the Special Teams snaps. We can expect him to only improve as he gets to know Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme more completely.

JuJu Smith-Schuster – is a WR who was signed on March 20th by Brett Veach to bolster the offense. The Chiefs decision makers must have known by then that Tyreek Hill was leaving and not signing with them because three days later, Hill signed with Miami. JuJu was the most significant WR for the Chiefs in 2022 with 933 yards in receptions. JuJu had 765 Offensive snaps and zero Special Teams snaps. He was the most significant target beside TE Travis Kelce this year. I hope the Chiefs can re-sign him, but he’s sure to get more lucrative offers elsewhere, so he is not likely to return to K.C. in 2023. That is… unless he wants to pursue more rings.

Danny Shelton – Shelton is a DT who was taken by the Browns with the 12th overall pick in 2015. In 2018, Shelton was traded to the Patriots and has had moderate success with those teams. He was signed by the Lions in 2020, then the Giants in 2021, and finally with the Chiefs in 2022. Although he had 9 Defensive snaps for K.C. this year and two (2) Special Teams snaps to go with that, he really had no effect on the team’s 2022 performance. He’s spent a lot of time on the Chiefs roster and if they have plans for him, it may be in 2023.

Kadarius Toney – KT was drafted with the 20th overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft by the NY Giants. The Chiefs traded for Toney and gave up a third and a sixth round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft (this year). Toney has one of the best jab-steps I’ve ever seen and he’s sure to be utilized more in 2023. Reid and crew had Toney in on 109 (23%) of the offensive snaps available to him. He also was in on 26 (14%) of the Special Teams snaps when in K.C.. I’ve heard some project Toney as the Chiefs #1 WR in 2023. I doubt that happens but I can see him becoming more of a regular in the offensive flow.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling – is a WR who started the year out with a large ‘drops” ratio. He seemed to fix that late in the season and although he has a contract that some have projected to be cut short and moved to Dead Cap money, I think he has value as a pass catcher moving forward. Besides, his contract goes from $2.56M in 2022 to $8.56M in 2023 and $11.56M in 2024… and those numbers are workable for a WR who brings us 4.37 speed and the ability to stretch the field.

Jaylen Watson – Watson is a CB who was drafted in the 7th round with the 243rd pick and played better than Joshua Williams who was taken with the 135th pick in the 4th round. At 6-foot-2, 196, Watson kept getting better and better as the season progressed and should be able to become a lock-down corner in the near future. He was in on 605 (56%) of the Defensive snaps this year and he had an INT to go with 49 Tackles he was in on.

Justin Watson – Justin Watson is a WR who had 15 receptions for 315 yards. Justin played for Tampa Bay for four year before signign with K.C. as a Free Agent. He has 4.42 speed and that speed helps him get open deep when necessary.

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Brandon Williams – Brandon Williams had 83 defensive snaps for K.C. this year. Williams was born in Kirkwood, Missouri and he went to Missouri Southern so signing with K.C. was a little like coming home for him. He was born on February 21 (tomorrow) and he will be 34 at that time. He spent his first 9 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, and it’s hard to see him coming back again, especially with him winnign a ring this time around and Veach having a bevy of veteran DTs pounding at his door, I’m sure.

Joshua Williams – Joshua Williams played his college ball at  Fayetteville State University and was drafted by the Chiefs in the 4th round last year with the 135th pick overall. He has been improving throughout the year as well, and had one (1) INT to go along with his 40 Tackles. If he can continue to improve, his 6-foot-3 frame will come in handy against some of the larger WRs in the NFL. Here’s Joshua Williams talking through the prep for the Interception he had:

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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