Happy New LEAGUE Year!

For a long time now, I’ve thought that the actual new year didn’t begin until after the Super Bowl. As the years have past and the Kansas City Chiefs haven’t sniffed the Lombardi, the new year has moved to the beginning of the NFL new year. Now that the new NFL League year has begun, it’s also a bit anti-climatic because of the way the league allows teams to contact players through their agents yet can’t technically sign them.

In any event, the Chiefs held their first press conference to announce the moves they’d already made including:

• Releasing long time Chiefs, Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali.
• Agreeing to terms with Anthony Sherman, Jarvis Jenkins, and De’Anthony Thomas.
• Placing the “Tenure” tag on Terrance Smith and Rakeem Nunez-Roches.
• Trading Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins for Kendall Fuller and picks.
• Trading Marcus Peters to the L.A. Rams for draft picks.
• Signing ILB Anthony Hitchens and WR Sammy Watkins in Free Agency.

Watkins and Fuller and Hitch, Oh My!

The Kansas City Chiefs are being built (or re-built for those of you comfortable enough in your Chief-ness to admit it) to the liking of Brett Veach and Andy Reid. A few notes about these moves:

1. ILB Anthony Hitchens’ jump-step sideways to avoid an OL block is next to none. Yes, DJ used to move like that but Hitchens follow it up with a jab step backwards thus propelling himself forward and he ALWAYS keeps his head up so he can see who and where he’s hitting someone. Anthony Hitchens is a 3-down player, is excellent in coverage, and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. A+ move.
2. No, CB Kendall Fuller is not Marcus Peters on the field. But… he is Kendall Fuller off of it and that will make a difference for this team. Can you say, “Culture Fit?!” Brett Veach said he and Andy Reid had an off-season vision and they wanted to get Fuller by trading Alex Smith and they also wanted to sign David Amerson… all prior to trading away Marcus Peters. Sometimes the best laid plans… work! Fuller gets an A- and the move by Veach gets an A+.
3. Sammy Watkins is a top tier wide receiver in the NFL. Period. There’s no WR in the league that I will hold up and say, that guy is a better receiver. Look what he had in Buffalo? Tyrod Taylor. Look who else 2nd year QB Jared was throwing the ball to in Los Angeles: WR Cooper Kupp, RB Todd Gurley and WR Robert Woods all had more yards receiving than Watkins but more importantly, more targets. Those three averaged 89 targets, between them, while Watkins was targeted 70 times. As Brett Veach pointed out, when they scouted Watkins: he’s always open. Mahomes should like that! A+ move.

Brett Veach says he’s made phone calls about the back-up QB position and had made calls that day. Here’s what he said,

“Listen. We fully vet every situation and I can say that the quarterback position, judging by our track record here is not something we overlook. There were many calls out there and actually today just before I got here we had a lot of dialogue and I suspect something would get done soon here. Obviously nothing is official so I have nothing to say officially other than I’ve officially made calls to a lot of guys.”

Before I go any further, I want to say that Chiefs fans should be excited to have Brett Veach as their team’s general manager. In his press conference he was engaging, present, and candid. He didn’t dodge questions nor was he ever close to condescending. It was also refreshing to hear that he and Andy Reid don’t think alike about all the players they evaluate — and he kind of smiled when he said it — but that Veach knows it’s his job to carry out their common vision. I was nothing but impressed with Brett Veach.

Here’s a short list of Free Agents still available who could also fit some of the Chiefs biggest needs… and hopefully the Chiefs could afford them:

1. CB, Kyle Fuller – 26 years old – (Kendall’s Brother), however, he may be out of the Chiefs price range since the Bears have placed a transition tag on him.
2. DL, Sheldon Richardson – 27 years old – is still available but appears to be playing the field.
3. CB, E.J. Gaines – 26 years old – he could be a playmaker in the Chiefs system.
4. Safety, Eric Reid – 26 years old – would give the Chiefs one of the best Safety pairs in the NFL. His willingness to sit during the National Anthem may keep him from consideration. I hope not.
5. CB, Rashaan Melvin – 28 year old had his best year in Indy then injured his hand. If his hand is good, he’d be an excellent addition.
6. Safety, Tre Boston – 25 year old who plays with an attitude. I’d love to see him in red & gold.
7. DL, Jay Bromley – 25 years old – a rotational defensive lineman who played his first four years for the New York Giants. He only played 38% of the Giants snaps in 2017 which was about average for him. He hasn’t been very productive but could be a developmental player on the D-line at 6-3, 306. He’s also someone who could be had for the minimum.

Alright Chiefs fans. Is there a QB out there who you’d like to see the Chiefs sign to be the back-up this year? Judging by Brett Veach’s comments on Wednesday, he could be signing someone to do that job today!

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