These Chiefs: Destiny or Dynasty

These Chiefs: Destiny or Dynasty – What comes first, the chicken, or the egg; destiny or a dynasty? Is it the Kansas City Chiefs destiny to be a dynasty? Will they become a dynasty? It will take a few more years to know for sure, but the outlook is very promising. 

Terms of Endearment 

First I will describe the two words: destiny and dynasty. Like Fate, Destiny is an event that can happen to a person or thing in the future. Often, it is fate that is beyond our human control. A Dynasty, in team sports, is the dominance of a team in a league over an extended time, plus winning multiple championships.

Factoring in these two terms leads me to believe that it must be destiny that creates a dynasty, but to predict the future of the Chiefs we need to analyze the inner workings of the organization. 

These Chiefs: From the Beginning

These Chiefs and this current era started in January 2013, where after one of the darkest years in Chiefs history, and a 2-and-14 record, the team fired interim HC, Romeo Crennel, at season’s end. USAToday covered that disturbing time on Chiefs history and it could be best summed up by DL Shaun Smith:

“There are times when you get free time, when you’re in the hotel room or just sitting around, and a thought will come across your mind like, ‘Wow, I’m really going through this.” 

Owner Clark Hunt stated publicly that he was going to be more involved with the team moving forward, and that he was going to structure the head coach and general manager with both answering directly to him, but independent of each other.

In a parallel universe, during that same 2012 season, the Philadelphia Eagles decided not to renew head coach Andy Reid’s contract after they went 4-and-12, which was the worst season of his NFL coaching career. During Reid’s 13 years in Philadelphia, he went 130-and-93-and-1 (a .583 winning percentage) and made the playoffs 9 times, including one Super Bowl appearance. Clark moved quickly and aggressively to hire him as the new head coach before other teams had a legitimate chance to do so themselves. Andy Reid has stated numerous times now over the years that coming to the Chiefs was his personal #1 destination and now, the Chiefs haven’t had a losing season in the 8 years that Andy has been the head coach going 91-and-37 (a .711 winning percentage).

Andy Reid brought some of his buddies from Philadelphia to Kansas City, Brett Veach being one of them, and he is now as the Chiefs general manager. Brett has assembled a 5-star roster for Andy to exploit the 31 other NFL teams.

This series of events seems as if it was destiny to happen. 

The Transition Roster

Eric Fisher was the 2013 draft overall #1 pick of the Kansas City Chiefs, and it signals the beginning of Andy’s success with the Chiefs. Throughout the eight years that Reid has been the head coach, we’ve seen players come and go, such as: Jamaal Charles, Derrick Johnson, Justin Houston, Eric Berry, Tampa Hali, Dontari Poe, to name but a few. These players were instrumental in assisting Andy Reid’s quest to change the culture from negative to positive in the locker room.

Reid’s ability to evaluate talent goes beyond the field and the locker room, it also expands into how players are viewed in the community, their charity work, and their everyday lifestyle. He also evaluates players: Teamwork, Chemistry, and Cohesion, and we’ll probably never see his roster not have those three traits (he learned his lessons well in Philly).

Alex Smith was acquired in a trade from the San Francisco 49ers in 2013. Smith was the most ultimate teammate, as playing with the Chiefs for five seasons. He made the Pro Bowl in 2013, 2016, 2017 and led the NFL in passing in 2017. His top level play led the Chiefs into the playoffs four of five years. Then in the 2017 draft, the Chiefs traded up from pick #27 to #10 and drafted Patrick Mahomes, and Mahomes had the great fortune to spend his rookie year as an understudy to Alex Smith. Alex exemplified the ultimate sacrifice in teaching his eventual replacement, all the facets of the Quarterback position and the right way to play in the NFL. This included how to train, proper film study, how to practice, and focusing on the techniques needed at the NFL level. The following offseason Alex Smith was traded to the Washington Football Team, even though his 2017 season stats were the best that he had ever posted.

There was a lot of good fortune that came the Chiefs way from the horrible 2012 season until the start of 2018 season and that spells Destiny, as clear as a glass of spring water.

The Chiefs Current Roster

Offensive Players

Patrick Mahomes: Drafted #10 in 2017 Draft. Now we have seen him develop into a franchise Quarterback, at a level of one of the best of all time. This position is the number one most important player on a dynasty level team. As long as Patrick’s health allows him to have a lengthy career, then the Kansas City Chiefs can expect the team to win multiple championships.

• OC – Austin Reiter, claimed off waiver wire from the Cleveland in 2018
• OG – Andrew Wylie, signed as free agent in 2018
• OG – Nick Allegretti, drafted in 2019 (7th round)
• OT – Eric Fisher, drafted in 2013 (1st overall)
• OT – Mike Remmers, signed as a free agent in 2020 
• RB – Clyde Edwards-Helaire, drafted in 2020 (32nd overall)
• RB – Darrel Williams, signed as an UDFA in 2018
• FB – Anthony Sherman, acquired in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals in 2013. The “Sausage” does not play as much at the fullback position as he once did, but when he does come on the field, he usually produces results, whether it’s blocking, running, or receiving. Highly used and a valued asset on special teams. A strong locker room leader. 
• TE – Travis Kelce, drafted in 2013 (3rd round)
• WR Tyreek Hill, drafted in 2016 (5th round). As a young player, had off field issues, but has matured, and is an asset to the local community with his charity work. He is the best deep threat in the NFL, and one of the best all around wide receivers, weapons, in the league.   
• WR – Sammy Watkins, signed as a free agent in 2018. Often injured, Sammy has helped bridge the gap, from a WR group that was just average, to elite status. 
• WR – Mecole Hardman, drafted in 2019 (2nd round)
• WR – Demarcus Robinson, drafted in 2016 (4th round)
• WR – Byron Pringle, signed as an UDFA in 2018
• K – Harrison Butker, claimed off of the Carolina Panthers practice squad in 2017

Defensive Players

• DT – Chris Jones, drafted in 2016 (2nd round)
• DT – Derrick Nnadi, drafted in 2018 (3rd round)
• DT – Mike Pennel, signed as a free agent in 2019
• DT – Tershawn Wharton, signed as an UDFA in 2020
• DE – Frank Clark, acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks in 2019. Cost the Chiefs 1st and 2nd round draft picks. Drafted by Seattle in 2015, 2nd round. Clark has not shown a high amount of QB pressures in two regular seasons, however the Chiefs would not have won the two playoff games, nor the Super Bowl without him on the team last year.
• DE – Mike Danna, drafted in 2020 (5th round)
• DE – Alex Okafor, signed as a free agent in 2019
• DE – Tanoh Kpassagnon, drafted in 2017 (2nd round)
• LB – Anthony Hitchens, signed as a free agent in 2018
• LB – Damien Wilson, signed as a free agent in 2019
• LB – Ben Niemann, signed as an UDFA in 2018
• LB – Willie Gay, drafted in 2020 (2nd round). Currently injured, but has showed enormous potential all season long. Should serve the Chiefs very well in future years. 
• CB – L’Jarius Sneed, drafted in 2020 (4th round)
• CB – Charvarius Ward, acquired in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys ( traded away OG Parker Ehinger)
• CB – Bashaud Breeland, signed as a free agent in 2019
• CB – Rashad Fenton, drafted in 2019 (6th round)
• S – Tyrann Mathieu, signed as a free agent in 2019
• S – Daniel Sorenson, signed as an UDFA in 2014 
• S – Juan Thornhill, drafted in 2019 (2nd round)
• P – Tommy Townsend, signed as an UDFA in 2020

Analyzing this year’s roster has revealed

• 4 current Chiefs were selected in the 1st round of the draft
• 16 Chiefs players were selected in a draft by the Chiefs
• 11 current Chiefs were signed as a free agent
• 6 players were acquired as UDFA
• 3 players were picked up in trades

With as much high value talent that the Chiefs currently have, you would think there must have been a lot of 1st round draft picks. Yet, the roster shows that lower rounds of the draft, free agent’s looking for a second chance, and UDFA’s… give better effort than highly touted players do. Most often a roster built this way will also create better chemistry in the locker room, which leads to better long term success on the football field.

Destiny or Dynasty : A Conclusion

My fact-finding mission researched here, tells me that it is Destiny for the Kansas City Chiefs to be well on their way to becoming the next NFL Dynasty. The Buffalo Bills were the latest victims, the most recent conquered on that path to the top of the pinnacle. 

Alan Haupt — ArrowheadOne

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