Chiefs By Position: Same, Better, Worse – Next week is the last week of training camp and we’re beginning to get a clearer picture of what the roster will look like. Yep, I know we haven’t even played one preseason game yet, but from everything we can see so far, we’re getting a good idea of how the team will look in September. Several outlets have published their projection of the Chiefs 53 man roster but it’s the starting position players who we really want to know about. So, let’s take a look to see if they’ve gotten Better, stayed the Same, or gotten Worse.
Quarterbacks: with the best quarterback in the league returning after his first year as a starter, and with him doing and saying all the right things, this position should only get better in 2019. Many national punditz-heads have predicted Patrick Mahomes will take a step back this year but that hardly makes sense. The only way this position takes a downturn is if backup Chad Henne has to start more than two games.
Running Backs: the Chiefs will be worse off than they were a year ago at this time. The last six games of the 2018 proved that current starter Damien Williams can fill in, but can he carry the load as the featured back in Andy Reid’s system for a whole year His absence in training camp may be a clue that he can’t. The additions to this position should help beef up the back end but so far, DWill is not Kareem Hunt. Not to worry, the RB position may be incorporated more into the passing game this year than in the past and the one aspect of Damien William’s game that is a step better than Kareem Hunt’s is his receiving ability… plus he runs a much faster 40: DWill has run a 4.40 and Hunt a 4.62.
Wide Receivers: with the return of one of the most dynamic wideouts in the league in Tyreek Hill, plus the healthy contribution of the Chiefs second #1 WR in Sammy Watkins, the steadying hand of Demarcus Robinson in the system and the addition of wizzzkid Mecole (muh-COLE) Hardman, the Wide Receiver position is as good as it’s ever been in Kansas City. The WR position is so deep that rumors abound of a possible trade to shore up other positions. The backups are stacked as well: Marcus Kemp, Byron Pringle, Gehrig Dieter, Cody Thomson. It would be a crying shame to lose any of these young talents but even if that happens, this gang will be bangin’ in 2019.
Offensive Linemen: The loss of Center Mitch Morse might have been thought to bring this group down as a whole but nothing could be further from the truth. His replacement will likely be Austin Reiter, a 4th year man out of South Florida who played well in a fill-in capacity in 2018 when Morse went out with a concussion. Morse has had multiple concussions so allowing him to walk was a smart move on Brett Veach’s part. BTW, Morse went into the Buffalo Bill’s concussion protocol a week ago. The rest of the offensive line has had a year together and a year to work with their new QB, Patrick Mahomes. That time together should only help this deep group improve in 2019.
Defensive Linemen: If DT Chris Jones remains with the team in 2019 and Frank Clark is everything we believe he is, the run defense should improve this year. The Chiefs were tied for the league lead in sacks with 52.0 last season and they may not reach that this year but the coaches will have them playing better as an overall unit not only against the run but in applying pressure on the opposing team’s quarterbacks. Last year nine teams were better at applying pressure than the Chiefs front 7 so any improvement there this year will likely mean the Chiefs defense as a whole will be much improved over their 31st ranking.
Linebackers: until this group of linebackers are able to put the new coaching into action, I’ll have to rate them the same as last season. Yes, Darron Lee has been added but he doesn’t show up on the most recent depth chart as a front line starter so his impact may be minimal to begin with. I think that new LB coach Matt House is doing a terrific job with this room and have heard that it is one of the most intense rooms on the team now. However, they will still be in “prove-it” mode with me and until they begin to shut running plays down near or behind the line of scrimmage on a regular basis, it’s going to be the sames-ville for me.
Cornerbacks: this is one area that has improved although so many fans and pundits remain concerned about their progress. By bringing in Bashaud Breeland to replace Steven Nelson, the Chiefs have maintained a position of need and possibly gotten better. By having the coaching staff move Kendall Fuller to the Slot CB position, this group has gotten better. By bringing back Charvarius Ward, a player who is in an upward trajectory in his performance, this group has improved. The backups are mostly unknown and this may be the reason for concern. However, I’m liking what I’ve seen so far in camp. Backups include: D’Montre Wade, Mark Fields, and Dakari Monroe. Some will question my giving the CBs an improved rating but they were so bad last year that any improvement will be… well… improvement.
Safeties: Tyrann Mathieu, Daniel Sorensen, Juan Thornhill, Armani Watts and Jordan Lucas will all be better this year than what the Chiefs had in 2018. There’s no way to emphasize enough how much better this unit is going to make the Chiefs defense this year. The run defense will be better… because of the Safeties. The Passing defense will be better… because of the Safeties. The amount of time the defense spends on the field will be reduced… because of the Safeties. Every unit will look better because when you have a plethora of quality Safeties the Chiefs employ this year. Plus, it might be thought of as one of he best units in the league by year’s end.
The Special Teams Unit: With Dustin Colquitt primed to return for a record setting season and Harrison Butker ready to go at it again, there’s not reason why this group should not remain at it’s high level of performance. Which also means… they will receive a “Same” rating from me. The only way this changes is if Colquitt is somehow replaced by Jack Fox and then Fox falters during the season. However, I seriously doubt that will happen. So… SAMESies it is.
So, except for the running back position, most every position group has gotten better this year. That’s not bad work on the part of the GM, coaches and the players. It should probably be added that the addition of a whole new Defensive Staff is making this team much better this year. What do you think?
Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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