Chiefs: I Can’t Go For That

Chiefs: I Can’t Go For That – sometimes I get a tune in my head and it won’t depart. So this is from a popular song: “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do).” It stuck in a fold of the brain somehow — so there you go Hall and Oates. My… No Can Do’s? –> drafting as a priority: RB, TE or WR… it’s just not in the cards.

Yes! Can Do: but With Caveats

Chiefs General Manager, Brett Veach, is going to do his best to field a roster that will compete for the crown jewel of NFL Football, another Lombardi. Keeping the base roster is a key to achieving that goal. Keep in mind I am saying “compete.” It is difficult to win the Super Bowl. Winning multiple times over a 10 year period is a monster of a task. A repeat? Even more difficult. I will note though that in 2018 Chiefs came within a hand length (Dee Ford’s) of reaching the Super Bowl, losing a game they should have won versus the Patriots.

The Chris Jones Question:

Keeping for Keepers or Tag and Trade? 

Veach has indicated that Chris Jones is a priority and that they would franchise tag him. Jones was drafted in 2016 and played his 4th season as a second round pick in 2019. No option. Jones was on my draft board and exceeded my expectation. He is a costly retention

It is my understanding that the difference between Veach and the agent for Chris Jones is related to guarantees but we don’t know the actual mismatch with Jones and Agent. It would be sad to lose him, but _________ (you fill in the blanks, ie, draft picks, trades, etc).

Point 1: Jones and the Overall Cap

The cap remains a problem overall. Jones is going to be costly especially when you consider that the Chiefs are going to need at least two Cornerbacks to join the roster in 2020, an interior offensive lineman and an ILB among what I view as the top 3 needs of the Chiefs.

The thing is, by tag and trade and releasing Watkins (or trading), the Chiefs would be far more capable in obtaining talent. Keep in mind that the Chiefs have DE Breeland Speaks in the background, returning from injury. He was no slouch player himself (mis-cast as an 34 OLB).

CB Bashaud Breeland has too big a demand and CB Kendall Fuller is looking at money also. It’s likely that both want too much money and “I can’t go for that!”

If Jones, Watkins, Breeland and Fuller depart? Then obtaining Chris Harris is a lot more plausible. Harris defines the Slot CB role. Our own Tyrann Mathieu is apparently lobbying for him.

My note? I would like to retain Fuller, whose 2019 season was injury affected. If we lose both Breeland and Fuller then obtaining Harris becomes a lot more plausible no matter what happens with Jones and Watkins.

Point 2: Cost of a Franchise Tag

If Chris Jones is signed with a franchise tag it means a $16M cap hit no matter what. This would mean that other deep cuts/releases/trades will need to occur. Veach has stated the Chiefs desire to retain Sammy Watkins also. If Sammy is released, or traded, the Chiefs would gain $14M in cap space — almost a requirement in order to solve the problem at CB and also to get Chris Jones an extended contract or at least pay him the Franchise Tag Money. It’s not sure that Jones would agree to even play for that money but he would have to sit out a year if he refuses to be on the field. Keep in mind that Breeland Speaks enters the picture at S/T. Jones would bring multiple picks/or players in a trade deal.

Do “No Can Do’s” Abound?

The Chiefs need a draft that brings in at least two players who will be almost assured a starting role for the 2020 roster. That is very possible considering the depth of the draft players in question overall.

Cornerbacks

The Chiefs not only need to address the empty CB room (only Charvarius Ward and Rashad Fenton are under contract), but this is the most glaring deficit when it comes to lining up players for the 2020 season.

Interior Offensive Line

Veach must also consider a very high need for a player to improve the IOL. None of the starters on the interior deserve high consideration for retention. We have already heard that Cam Erving will not be retained: surely, many are breathing out a huge sigh of relief for this news. We all now know that Austin Reiter performed poorly and took a step back and Andrew Wylie didn’t live up to growth speculation. Also, LDT had a bad season (apparently due to playing through a severe ankle injury). Hopefully Doc returns to form.

My larger than life view is the IOL was not up to snuff and this affected the run game as well as pass protection.

It wasn’t until Stefan Wisniewski was inserted as the Left Offensive Guard, that the play of the front five improved enough for the playoffs and even then Mahomes had to use his talents to avoid disaster. The Chiefs will certainly look at extending Wisniewski a second season which would work. The Chiefs will retain Doc but are still exposed at Center, or the ROG, position. Wylie likely sticks for depth and we can hope and pray that 2019 draft pick Nick Allegretti is indeed capable of competing for a starting role.

Upgrading the IOL will help protect Pat Mahomes and keep his panties clean and hopefully improve the blocking for the run game.

Wide Receivers?

The Chiefs also will have need to consider drafting a Wide Receiver, because they’re likely to release Sammy Watkins to gain draft capital. True, Mecole Hardman is in the wings to be the #2 WR should Watkins depart. Behind them is promising depth as well with Byron Pringle.

The need to draft a WR is not bad news in this way: the 2020 draft is very deep in quality talent. That will make adding a WR far more palatable. A round 3 selection could prove fruitful as an example but also Gehrig Dieter and Marcus Kemp are in the wings. I wouldn’t pick a WR with any of my top 100 picks. I am just not going to do it unless the selection is so skewed for the talent to be chosen that I cannot, “Not” make that pick. That could well happen. It could be that there is a total Home Run in selecting one of the many top talents in which case, Veach would have to make that pick. True. I understand that if Watkins and Robinson both depart that the WR group takes a hit, but it still isn’t a must do. So, I’d agree, it is not a “No Can Do.”

Inside Linebackers?

Despite the needs at CB and IOL, the Chiefs also must figure out who to retain for the 4-3 Linebacker role as well as finding a new model that is the best-so-far, type of pick (or better). Anthony Hitchens, Ben Niemann and Dorian O’Daniel are still under contract. Do they re-sign Reggie Ragland or make a draft pick? As far as I am concerned, this position has been ignored for far too long. I was harping on finding DJ’s replacement before 2016, and that has proven to be a valid, ongoing concern. Such a talent as DJ is difficult to find in the draft and the draft is the only way to find a player who will be a long haul player and top performer to boot.

 Running Backs: Is it Really a need?

Sure. I can see drafting a running back but… considering the mix of ground plays with the aerial game, is not something that I have high on my list of team needs, certainly not making a RB a round 1 or round 2 pick. In fact, Damien Williams performed at a very high level in 2019 and excelled in the post-season despite the poor play of the offensive line. I attribute poor OL play for the inability to exert its will on the foe. Remember in 2017? Nagy simplified the blocking and the team won out over the last five games. I still think the complicated blocking system is part of the problem and it appears that this reverted to the “standard” of Andy Reid’s offensive playbook methodology. Draft a RB? “No Can Do! 

You don’t solve an Offense line problem by making a top selection for a running back.

My Last Consideration: Tight End

Blake Bell and Deon Yelder did not open eyes as to their ability for the role of the number two TE. Either could return for 2020. There are players behind them as well but no standouts. The Chiefs need to make a solid round 4 or round 5 type pick to get another player in the mix. For that matter, using a F/A behind Kelce can be had economically as has been shown. How many targets is the #2 Tight End going to get and how important is it considering the many tools available to Pat Mahomes?

Bottom Lines

The Chiefs can select 2 top players: rounds one and two. Beyond those two rounds, it is far more difficult to find a player who is going to make an immediate impact. I trust Brett Veach and his scouting staff to have found the right players to target. 2019 was a draft which has proven fruitful beyond normal expectations.

Rounds 3-7 depend on finding gems to be selected among the grains of possibilities. It’s a wing and hope for a top choice for an IOL in my view of the draft especially if beyond round two. Trading back is a likely possibility also which changes the overall draft picture. Brett Veach has an extremely difficult task ahead of him — finding that 3rd or 4th prospect in a 5-player draft requires deft footwork.

Without fanfare, I see picks one through three being used for the BPA with focus on finding an ILB, IOL and CB who will each make an immediate impact.

David Bell — ArrowheadOne

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