Chiefs By Position: Better or Worse

Laddie Morse

When you win a Super Bowl, like the Kansas City Chiefs just did, you become the target of not only every other team in the NFL, but of those team’s fans and national pundits alike. While it’s an amazing feat to win the Super Bowl, anytime you do it, even your own fanbase wants to know during hte offseason –> CAN YOU DO IT AGAIN? The answer to that quesiotn may be secondary to the question of whether or not you’ve gotten better at each position, or not. That’s what we’ll take a look at today in: “Chiefs By Position: Better or Worse?”

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With Patrick Mahomes revealing recent videos of his offseason workouts — already — it’s hard not to think of him as getting better with each year he is in the league. He’s improved each season he’s been in the NFL Except for one year, Mahomes completion percentage has improved each year he’s been in the league. He’s gone from: 62.9% in 2017 (his first year as a starter)… to 66.0% in 2018… to 65.9% in 2019… to 66.3% in 2020… to 66.3% in 2021… to 67.1% in 2022 (just last year).

The big question is, will the backup be needed again for any length of time this season. Last year, in the first game of the playoffs vs the Jags, back-up QB Chad Henne, was needed to spearhead a K.C. drive 98 yards and scored a TD in the process. While it’s hard to see Blaine Gabbert doing that this year, we can only hope Mahomes isn’t injured for any length of time this season. If he is — knock on wood — it will not go well for the Chiefs.

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While for many it is hard to imagine Patrick Mahomes getting better, even though it is slightly, I believe he will make everyone on his offense better.

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If the Left Tackle position is manned by Donovan Smith… and if he is better than he was in 2022… and if he returns to 2021 form because he was playing with an injury last year… it should be better. If it’s not, Andy Reid will know soon enough in Training camp and then move Jawaan Taylor there to man the position. If that is the case, the position will also be better. Even if there’s a transition period. Prince Tega-Wanogho should serve as the Chiefs backup to the backup at LT.

The Interior Offensive Line should be better simply because those three — LG Joe Thuney, OC Creed Humphrey and RG Trey Smith — will be playing their third year in a row together.

The Right Tackle position should also be better because Andrew Wylie is gone. Whoever the Chiefs have to replace him will be better than he was. Even though Wylie wrote a nice letter to the Chiefs fans, he was a backup player for the Interior of the OL as well, and although I’d have liked him to return, it is likely he would not have been a starter this season. It’s hard. to blame a player like Wylie — who was a UDFA with the Colts in 2017 — for signing with his old OC, Eric Bieniemy in Washington for $24M.

In 2023, the Chiefs have a number of options for their Right Tackle position including Jawaan Taylor (who could also serve as a backup LT), Lucas Niang, plus Wanya Morris and Darian Kinnard. I expect someone among the OL to be tagged — unceremoniously — with a hamstring injury and spend the year on the IR list. Kinnard wears the bull’s-eye for that designation simply because he is the player they want least to lose (among the backups).

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I give this “Similar” rating to the OL simply because we don’t know yet exactly how it will turn out. I “expect” it will be better, but time will tell.

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Travis Kelce will eb better than he’s ever been. Joy Fortson will have a breakout season. Noah Gray will take a step up and so will Blake Bell, Kendall Blanton, and Matt Bushman. The Chiefs might be keeping one of these tight ends as an extra player on their 53-man roster because they are working without a FB in the house. Even though the Chiefs have given an invite to their mini-camp this weekend to Tyler Roberts who is a HB/FB from Merrimack College, he is not UDFA they’re paying, he’s just an invitee. His 6-foot-3, 240 lbs. frame makes him a player to watch if the Chiefs do decide to bring in a FB. Note: the Chiefs FB from 2022, Michael Burton, has defected to the his old coach Sean Payton with the Broncos. My guess if they cover that FB position with a TE.

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Jody Fortson suffered an elbow subluxation against the Texans in December of lasy season. With him back and in full form, the TE position should be much improved this year. He is someone who can take up the slack of losing WR JuJu Smith-Schuster who is now with the New England Patriots.

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I’m probably higher on WR Rashee Rice than most. I expect him to reach the thousand yard mark prior to the end of this season and that’s something JuJu Smith-Schuster didn’t do in K.C.. In any event, I see the Chiefs WRs of 2023 better than those of 2022. Skyy Moore will be better than he was last season and Kadarius Toney will make up for any loss — if you can cal lit that — of Mecole Hardman moving on to the New York Jets. Richie James and Justin Watson should fill out the 2023 WR roster nicely. The real question here is… will Justyn Ross have made enough progress and recovered enough from his prior injuries to make the coaches believe he’s ready to rock-n-roll with the big boys so he can land on the Chiefs final roster. If he does that, the WR roster should be even stronger, not matter who the Chief have to cut.

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The whole WR roster is graded as better mostly because Patrick Mahomes will improve more… to the degree that he will be up for the league MVP again this year.

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Will Isiah Pacheco be better this season than he was in his rookie year? Absolutely. Will Jerick McKinnon continue to offer his insights to his fellow team mate who are RBs? Yes, he will. Will Clyde Edwards-Helaire finally prove his worth? I have not idea, and nether does anyone else. Could Deneric Prince be another Pacheco? Possible, very possible.

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The Running backs for the Chiefs will be better primarily because it will be Pacheco’s second year in Reid’s playbook and because Deneric Prince should be able to add some to Pacheco’s yards, when he needs a break.

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Chris Jones is Chris Jones and he’s one of hte best Defenders in the NFL. So, can we count on him to continue his ways? Yes. Will Charles Omenihu and Felix Anudike-Uzomah be able to replace the performance levels of Frank Clark? Undoubtably. Can George Karlaftis pick up right where he left off last season (5.5 sacks in his last 7 games) and continue his assault on opposing QBs? While that remains to be seen, I’m pretty sure that will happen. Can new DT Keondre Coburn step up enough to either replace Khalen Saunders or inspire Danny Shelton to do so?

Yes, I’m pretty sure that will happen too.

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Sounds to me like the DL is ready to have a breakout season.

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I was sharing with David Bell just yesterday that I believe this year’s LBs is the strongest LB corp the Chiefs have had since the 1960s when Bobby Bell, Willie Lanier and Jim Lynch roamed the middle of hte field. With Nick Bolton, Willie Gay, Drue Tranquill and Leo Chenal offer all the skills necessary to become one of the best — if not the very best — group of Linebackers to play for one team in a long time.

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I can understand fans thinking that Justin Reid was not as good as Tyrann Mathieu. However, Mathieu was not as good in his last year as a Chief and Reid should be getting better this season it being his second year in Steve Spagnuolo’s system. He may need ot back off of telling Good Morning Football (GMFB) that he Chiefs were going to score 100 points per game, but other than that, I’m happy with his progress. Juan Thornhill is gone to the Cleveland Browns but his replacement, Mike Edwards, will be more than enough to make the team better o nthe back end. May have been speculating the second year Safety Bryan Cook will take up part of Thornhill’s slack, but with Edwards in the house, that won’t have to happen right away. Nazeeh Johnson may see a challenge for his position from 7th round pick Nic Jones or even Chamarri Conner but in any event, the position will improve.

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Tommy Townsend was re-signed with K.C. and although he made the Pro Bowl in 2022, it’s hard to see him equalling that feat. If he does, that will be helpful in the Chiefs cause to return to the Super Bowl. If he doens’t, the Chiefs could still possibly make it to the biggest game of he year. So, I’m not counting his input as totally necessary to the Chiefs winning another champoionship.

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The contributions of Harrison Butker are necessary to the Chiefs winning another Championship and he proved that with his game winning kick in the AFC Championship Game and his field goal with little time remainign in the Super Bowl giving K.C. a 38-to-35 lead with 8 seconds left.

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In 2021, it looked like Long Snapper James Winchester and holder Tommy Townsend were having problems getting in sync. That, as much as anything, was the likely reason that Harrison Butker was off and missed a bunch of kicks. However, in 2022, they appeared to have that problems solved and were much improved. The long snapper can effect a game in many ways but the Chief have a good one and we should leave it at that. K.C has invited UDFA Long Snapper Jake Coffman, from Missouri, to their mini-camp but I doubt they’re going to make a change, just to be making a change there.

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All the Chiefs coaches keep getting better and better over the past few seasons. With Eric Bieniemy going to Washington to be the Commanders OC there, the Chiefs return to the well known hand of Matt Nagy. Nagy’s stint as Head Coach of the Bears gives him a vantage point that is fairly unique and possibly not shared by any other Offensive mind in the game right now. The Chiefs made a number of coaching changes over the offseason. Take a look:

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I see each of these as positive moves. One example is Todd Pinkston who previously served as WR Coach at Austin Peay University and will now take over the RB Coaching position for the Chiefs. Also, but no less important, is the transition of David Girardi to full time QB Coach. We all know Patrick Mahomes needs stability and Girardi previously served with the Chiefs as their Pass Game Analyst/QB Coaching Assistant. Here’s what was posted in 2017 from Lafayette University:

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For those of you who have a hard time reading the fine print — like me — here’s what the Tweet says in fine print:

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“David is an excellent Teacher and Communicator of Quarterback Technique and Fundamentals. As a former Quarterback at Geneva College, he has Western Pennsylvania ties and FBS coaching experience which Makes him a Great Asset to our program. – Head Coach John Garrett”

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Super Bowl LVII

Andy Reid was clearly the better coach in Super Bowl LVII and he took advantage of several of Philly’s faulty defensive alignments (that went unnoticed by the Eagles coaching staff). It was Reid’s brilliance and experiential savvy that won the Super Bowl this year… as much as any thing — or anyone — else. The man knows how to self-evaluate and that makes him better and better and better. Did I mention he’s getting better?

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Summary

With so many critical positions improving and getting better, the Chiefs should be in competition for hosting another AFC Championship as well as going back to the Super Bowl. Brett Veach and his team have proven they know how to put a team together and it’s another case of –> IVWT.

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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