Assumptions:
1. The Chiefs do well this coming season. HC Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach are retained. The salary cap jumps $35m.
2. Before the 2021 season starts: OG Laurent Duvarney-Tardif is traded with a 2022 6th round pick to the Houston Texans for OT/G Tytus Howard and a 2022 4th round pick; S Tyrann Mathieu is extended for 3 years, $52m ($30m guaranteed).
3. OC Eric Bienemy is hired by your mom's second favorite team to become a HC.
4. The Chiefs franchise: OT Orlando Brown.
5. The Chiefs extended: WR Tyreek Hill for 4 years, $80m ($52 guaranteed).
6. The Chiefs tender: WR Jody Fortson, LB Emmanuel Smith
7. The Chiefs re-sign: DT Jarran Reed 2 years, $20m ($8m guaranteed), DT Derrick Nnadi 2 years, $9m ($1m guaranteed)
8. The Chiefs re-sign to minimal deals: QB Chad Henne, RB Darrel Williams, WR Marcus Kemp, LB Ben Niemann, LB Darius Harris, WR Byron Pringle, OT Mike Remmers, OG Andrew Wylie, C Austin Blythe, LS James Winchester
9. The Chiefs let walk: RB Jerick McKinnon, FB Michael Burton, OG Kyle Long, WR Demarcus Robinson, TE Blake Bell, TE Nick Keizer, DE Taco Charlton, OLB Dorian O'Daniel, CB Charvarius Ward, S Dan Sorensen, S Armani Watts.
10. The Chiefs sign WR Anthony Miller (Bears), TE MyCole Pruitt (49ers), CB Kyle Fuller (Broncos), S Darian Thompson (Cowboys).
11. The Chiefs are picking late in the draft.
The draft:
1. DE Aiden Hutchinson, Michigan (Chiefs trade a 4th and a 2023 2nd to move up)
2. DE Myjai Sanders, Cincinnati
3. CB Roger McCreary, Auburn
3 (Bienemy). S Bralen Trahan, Louisville
4. RB Zamir White, Georgia
6. CB Tiawan Mullen, Indiana
7. LB Nick Jackson, Virginia
the roster:
QB: Mahomes, Henne
RB: Edwards-Helaire, Williams,
White, Thompson
FB: some guy
WR: Hill, Hardman, Pringle, Powell, Fortson,
Miller
TE: Kelce, Gray,
Pruitt
LT: Brown, Remmers
LG: Thuney, Wylie
C: Humphrey, Blythe
RG: Smith,
Howard
RT: Niang, Remmers
DE: Clark,
Sanders, Kaindoh
DT: Jones, Wharton
DT: Nnadi, Reed, Saunders
DE:
Hutchinson, Danna
OLB: Gay,
Jackson
ILB: Hitchens, Niemann
OLB: Bolton, Harris, Smith
CB: Sneed,
Fuller, Fenton,
McCreary, Keyes,
Mullen
S: Mathieu, Thornhill,
Trahan,
Thompson
K: Butker
P: Townsend
LS: Winchester
[Reply]
DE - Cut Clark, snag a guy off the FA heap like Sam Hubbard, and draft a guy at least on day 2 would be my expectation.
CB - If Ward is going to be expensive, and I expect he will be relatively, then there are quite a few FA options out there next year. Veach will likely make a low-key vet move and probably add another day 3 guy.
S - Honestly could depend on the Mathieu situation and I'm not necessarily banking on Veach retaining him. If they don't, I could see a relatively high pick going here to go along with some scrap heap bargains to replace Sorensen and Watts. If they do, maybe they spend a mid-rounder on the position for now and still add a vet or two off the heap.
WR - I can't fathom anything but a hefty Hill extension. After that, we'll see what happens with the rookie but this could be a spot Veach starts to invest some picks in. I think we know what we have otherwise, which is a solid slot in Hardman and a bunch of JAGs. How high the picks are will depend a lot on the development of Powell and whether or not Callaway is reliable.
DT - Kind of the question mark with Nnadi and Reed. Nnadi is criminally underrated as a NT and I could see him entertaining more lucrative deals than you have outlined here on the open market. He's certainly better than Poona Ford and Star Lotulelei are and they both got 6 per deals. With the cap going up next year, I'd have to think that's his floor. We'll have to see how Reed fits but if it goes well then I could see an extension. It may be a good time for Veach to throw another dart at the board here just for depth.
[Reply]