Five positions the Chiefs could upgrade before the 2018 season
BY TEREZ A. PAYLOR|
TPAYLOR@KCSTAR.COM
ORLANDO, FLA.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has been a busy man this offseason.
Over the course of the last two months, Veach has jettisoned a Pro Bowl quarterback (Alex Smith) and two team icons (linebackers Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson), all in the name of getting younger and clearing salary-cap space. He has also jettisoned a young and wildly talented but mercurial cornerback, Marcus Peters, in an attempt to head off the on- and off-field distractions that might've resulted from a probable holdout over a new contract.
But despite being strapped for cash, Veach has also managed to make some improvements, too. He signed the No. 1 player on the Chiefs' free-agent board, receiver Sammy Watkins, to a three-year deal that when combined with speedster Tyreek Hill arms new quarterback Patrick Mahomes with two elite deep threats. And Veach also signed a speedy three-down linebacker with range in Anthony Hitchens to replace Johnson, one of the team's most revered players.
In return for Smith, the Pro Bowl quarterback Andy Reid helped rejuvenate after a roller-coaster career in San Francisco, Veach got a third-round pick and an ascending young cornerback in Kendall Fuller, who plays with passion and aggression and will immediately compete with Steven Nelson to be the team's No. 1 cover corner.
Best of all, the three players the Chiefs brought in are 25 or younger, which is very much in line with the younger, faster core that Veach hopes to give Reid in the longtime coach's seemingly endless quest for that first Super Bowl title.
But the truth is, with free agency having effectively wound down and the Chiefs believed to be operating with less cap space than has been publicly suggested, whatever improvements Veach still hopes to make will likely come via cheap, low-risk options or the NFL Draft.
Here are five positions the Chiefs could still look to fortify this offseason by the time organized team activities begin in mid-March:
1. Defensive line
The Chiefs re-signed Jarvis Jenkins and tendered Rakeem Nunez-Roches. They also signed Grandview High product Xavier Williams to bolster the run defense as their best interior run stopper, Bennie Logan, left via free agency. Throw those guys in the mix with established starters Chris Jones and Allen Bailey, and you can live with this group. But Veach is trying to build a dominant unit up front, and with Bailey, Williams and Nunez-Roches all slated to hit free agency after this season, it would be a major surprise if the Chiefs didn't invest a premium draft pick in a potential three-down talent.
2. Defensive back
The trade of Peters leaves a void that Fuller will likely fill, while the super-competitive Nelson will be motivated to have a career season in a contract year. Add those two to David Amerson, who shined in 2015 with Oakland but will be looking to cash in after playing this season on a one-year prove-it deal, and the Chiefs' top three corners will be competitive. The depth behind them is lacking, however, and someone will need to step up and surprise. Bet on help coming via a top-100 pick, especially in a league that covets cover corners like never before. The best-case scenario? A top-40 talent falls to the Chiefs' first pick, No. 54 overall. But if a good corner (or defensive lineman) falls to the end of the first round, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Veach — who trusts his scouting eye and is unfailingly aggressive — move up and snatch one. At safety, a rangy cover man with ball skills could tempt the Chiefs: they interviewed several at the annual scouting combine.
3. Edge rusher
The Chiefs have the makings of a really good edge rush, provided everything breaks right. Justin Houston is expensive throughout his career, but he remains elite. And the smart money is on Dee Ford turning his insane first-step quickness into a double-digit sack season and contract-year payday in 2018. Meanwhile, the coaching staff loves 2017 second-round pick Tanoh Kpassagnon's ridiculous combination of size (6 foot 7) and athleticism, which is matched by a happy-go-lucky spirit and desire to get better. But if Houston and Ford get nicked up and Kpassagnon still hasn't mastered the mental side of the game (or the intricacies of holding the edge), the Chiefs could be in trouble here. If they plan to move on from Ford or Houston after this season, it would make sense to invest a top-100 pick in a talented edge rusher to add competition to the group.
4. Offensive line
Don't sleep on the loss of Zach Fulton; the free-agent center's departure to Houston robs this offensive line of a steady, reliable and interchangeable piece along the offensive line. The real shame of it is that we never got to see Fulton, who played best at center, teamed up with Mitch Morse at guard (where Morse could get out and run a little more than he could at center). The Chiefs might be comfortable rolling with Morse at center, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and either Bryan Witzmann or Parker Ehinger at left guard, but no matter what, they need to add more talent to the interior to guard against injuries and/or the chance that Morse leaves via free agency after this season. Meanwhile, the Chiefs appear to be set at tackle with Eric Fisher or Mitch Schwartz, but with Cameron Erving scheduled to be a free agent after the season — and with him also doing his best work as a blocking tight end, of sorts — the Chiefs would be wise to find a long, tough, developmental prospect on the outside, too: someone who could potentially blossom after two offseasons spent with head strength coach Barry Rubin.
5. Tight end
Travis Kelce is elite, and what's more, he really seemed to mature during the course of the 2017 season. You never know when he might unleash during a game, but as a player, there's no doubt he has lots of good football left. That said, he turns 29 this year and coach Andy Reid loves using tight ends, so it wouldn't hurt to find a developmental tight end to add to this unit, especially one who can block well — an ongoing net deficiency for years now. Adding depth here could also be smart because No. 2 tight end Demetrius Harris, a gifted former basketball player who has gotten better every season, hits free agency after this season.
