Laddie Morse
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off of a Super Bowl winning campaign and for that matter, two in a row. Which… also means they’ll be gunning for their third in a row this year. Now, three (3) Lombardi Trophies in a row has never been done and three Championships hasn’t been accomplished since the Green Bay Packers did it back in the 1960s. The question on everyone’s mind is, what will it take to for these Chiefs to go back-to-back-to-back? Accomplishing that feat will depend largely upon who the team is getting to come back… and… who they will be replacing in those who aren’t coming back… including, those they’ve drafted and those they’ve signed. Let’s take a peak.
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Those Who Were Drafted
Two players who were drafted, WR, Xavier Worthy and TE, Jared Wiley, should end up playing crucial roles in the 2024 season for K.C.. The Wide Receiver situation in 2023 was abysmal, mostly because they couldn’t hang onto the ball. That has been the elephant in the room and an issue that seems to have also been contagious, and because of it, many were surprised — including moi — when the Chiefs appeared to turn that around late in the season and make a successful run at a title.
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WR, Xavier Worthy (5-11, 172 lbs.) was drafted as the 28th player in the 2024 NFL Draft and he looks like he’ll be a major player for K.C. this coming season.
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Worthy is also young — just turning 21 years old this past Monday the 27th — and should be around for awhile. If you haven’t gotten to watch any of Xavier Worthy’s highlights (4:20):
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OT, Kingsley Suamataia (6-5, 324 lbs.) was drafted with the 63rd pick overall and he will compete with Wanya Morris for the starting Left Tackle position. Suamataia is first cousins with Penei Sewell of the Detroit Lions and also related to: Puka Nacua of the Rams and Noah Sewell of the Bears, among others. In other words, Kingsley Suamataia has it in his bloodline and heritage.
TE, Jared Wiley (6-6, 250 lbs.) was drafted with pick #131 and looks like he’ll one day be a great replacement for Travis Kelce… one day. Plus, he’ll be a wonderful relief for him in the meantime.
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Wiley played QB in high school, just like Kelce, and has an athletic frame which should hold up well and be of great service for K.C. for the next decade. Jared Wiley said he thinks the Chiefs have the best offense in the NFL, so let’s hope he can help to keep it that way. Let the transition commence. (4:38):
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Safety, Jaden Hicks (6-1, 211 lbs.) was drafted with pick #133 and may get time in his rookie year on the field. He fell to the Chiefs and was ranked much higher by many services. Here’s part of what K.C. saw (2:19):
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IOL, Hunter Nourzad (6-3, 317 lbs.) was drafted with the 159th pick overall and if he gets any time one the field this year, it will not be a good sign, because it will mean that a starter has gone down to injury.
The last two picks for K.C. are developmental prospects in DB, Kamal Hadden (6-1, 196) and OL, C.J. Hanson (6-5, 300 lbs.) and I don’t anticipate either to make it to the field this year, but in future years, if they are developed, yes.
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Those Who Were Signed
WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was signed shortly after NFL Free Agency started (started on March 13th and Hollywood was signed on the 18th) and will be a major upgrade over Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who released and mostly because of his propensity to drop passes (he had a bad case of the dropsies). He’s called a “receiver” but had a hard time living up to that moniker. Here’s some of Hollywood’s tape while in college at Oklahoma. Once I watched this I thought: “Boy, oh boy, the Chiefs are gonna score a lot of touchdowns this year!“ (2:18):
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DT Chris Jones signed a new 5-year, $158.75M deal which was not only a sign the Chiefs were about to attempt to run-it-back for a third time in a row, but it meant that Chris Jones had reached he top of his position in the league (especially since Aaron Donald retired this offseason as well).
Backup QB Carson Wentz was signed by K.C. on April 4th and was taken second overall in the 2016 NFL Draft by Philadelphia and although he led the Eagles to an 11-and-2 record in 2017 he won a Super Bowl ring that year when his backup, Nick Foles helped them beat the Tom Brady led Patriots in Super Bowl LII, 41-to-33.
DE Mike Danna was signed to a 3-year deal worth $24M with $13M guaranteed in early April and when that happened, it was clear that Brett Veach’s clear intention was for them to run-it-back.
RB/KR Louis Rees-Zammit was signed on March 29th and is an ex-Rugby player who runs a 4.43 – 40-yard dash. While he has no experience playing American football, he was signed shortly after the NFL owners passed a new kick-off rule which he appears to be well suited for as a return man.
TE, Irv Smith was originally drafted by the Vikings in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The Chiefs usually carry three TEs on their roster so it appears that he’ll be in a competition with Jared Wiley, the Chief newly draft TE, for that thrid spot behind Travis Kelce and Noah Gray.
Punter Matt Araiza was signed when Tommy Townsend was allowed to walk. Townsend signed a nice two-year deal with the Houston Texans for $6M. Araiza has been called the “Punt God” in college when he set an NCAA record for average punt distance of 51.19 yards per kick. Although Araiza doesn’t “love the nickname” he sees it as a great compliment.
While some may be wondering if these 2024 Chiefs are going to be any better than the 2023 Chiefs, I think they’ve taken several major steps forward, especially offensively. While the Defense will remain at or near, the top of the league, the offense will be much improved. Here are the offensive skill players this season for our Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs:
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That only means trouble for the rest of the NFL. What say you?
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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