Ranking the Offseason Needs of the Chiefs

With Draft Season right around the corner, let's look at some tiers of Chiefs needs heading into the offseason.

After a quick break, we are back diving into the world of College Football and the NFL Draft again this week, as it pertains to the Kansas City Chiefs. Most of the year, we’ve used this space to generate a CFB Watchlist for Chiefs fans but now it’s time to start changing gears and looking more Chiefs-specific going forward.

There was some thought of doing a mock draft or some Bowl Game watchlists here but with underclassmen declarations and Bowl Game sit-out announcements coming daily, that may have a finite timetable. Instead, I think it’s important to set the stage for the Chiefs offseason in terms of potential draft targets by looking at team needs.

Most reading this are going to stumble across a Mock Draft - or two - in the coming months and nothing is more frustrating as a fan than a Mock Draft that simply doesn’t understand team needs. It can become confusing seeing this happen time and time again and wondering if you’re missing something or if they are. This is why to start nearly every Draft Season I like to start looking at the Chiefs Team Needs.

Chiefs Team Needs

Off the top I want to acknowledge the most important part of this process, all team personnel and “needs” are based on who is under contract in 2022. IE, players that most expect to be cut to save cash - Anthony Hitchens or Frank Clark - are still considered on the team. Players expected to resign but that are currently free agents - Tyrann Mathieu - are considered free agents and thus that position is unfilled.

The Chart

This list can be filled through the draft, free agency, or trade and isn’t going to be limited to just one avenue or the other. Not every position on the team is listed and those not listed should be considered as not a need in terms of a starter or depth. Finally, within each tier the rankings generally read like a book, IE left to right. 

I’m sure none of this is questionable so we can just end this here, yeah? No? Alright, well let’s look at some specifics within the tiers.

Need a Starter

This looks incredibly daunting because there are six positions listed but it’s worth remembering, these roles can be filled in free agency or even by resigning players currently on the team. Tyrann Mathieu, Orlando Brown Jr, and one of Jarran Reed or Derrick Nnadi could - or should - be back next season which makes this section look a little better.

Wide Receiver 2 - This may come as no surprise but the Chiefs are really struggling to get consistent production out of their third receiving option. Sammy Watkins’ role hasn’t really been filled adequately and while the statistical output may be similar, it’s really placed the Chiefs into a structural bind on the field. The team had tried to add a handful of different wide receivers in Free Agency that didn’t pan out, brought in Josh Gordon mid-season and immediately got him on the field, and cycled numerous players through that wide receiver 2 position. None have had significant success and it’s my suspicion that this has played a larger role in the offensive struggles than basic safety alignment.

Defensive End 2 - Keep in mind, this is even under the thought process that Frank Clark is still on this roster given he is under contract. There is a possibility he is let go to save cash which only strengthens the need at defensive end. Either way, the Chiefs need help rushing the passer off the edge. The defensive line has performed exceptional as of late but Melvin Ingram and Alex Okafor are both set to be free agents and both are better in rotational roles. The Chiefs need a new, young face along the defensive line that can be a building block for years and with the importance of the defensive end position in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, it has to be at that spot.

Cornerback 2 - You could make an argument that this could be classified as cornerback 1 but in either case, the Chiefs need some improvement at the position. As of right now Charvarius Ward, Mike Hughes, and Deandre Baker are all set to be free agents - any of them could be brought back - and the Chiefs could honestly use improvement on any of them. With L’Jarius Sneed seemingly maintaining an outside-inside role, the Chiefs need a primary outside corner that can be expected to matchup with any style of receiver on the outside without requiring safety help. This is something they haven’t had since Marcus Peters and could allow Spagnuolo to get even crazier with his play calling.

The Rest - I’m going to speed run through these last three in this tier because I do expect these positions to be filled by players already on the roster but they need a mention. If the Chiefs don’t re-sign Orlando Brown Jr - or, more likely Franchise Tag him - they will need an instant starter at left tackle. The marriage between Brown and Mahomes hasn’t been perfect this year but it’s getting closer to serviceable as the year goes on. Tyrann Mathieu is more important to this defense than can really be expressed so he should return. If he doesn’t, the Chiefs will need some form of instant starter at the safety position that has the flexibility to play deep, in the box, and in the slot while providing some leadership on the backend. Nose tackle is probably the easiest position to see returning because there are multiple options with Nnadi and Reed. If the Chiefs can’t get either to return, they should look for a starter to pair with Chris Jones but it’s an easier position to fill than the rest.

Competition and Role Players

Another full tier but this is where you always want to be churning over the roster. These are players that are either going to be pressing adequate starters or players that play specific roles for a team in certain situations. 

Running Back - This one nearly got into the top tier but Clyde Edwards-Helaire deserves one more year to showcase he’s ready for the next step. That said, the offense is clearly lacking dynamic play out of the position and it doesn’t appear as if CEH has fully meshed with the offensive scheme and new offensive line just yet. Some fans have championed for Darrel Williams to take his role - Williams is also set to be a free agent - but the same issues exist when he is in there. Neither back has significant speed, explosion, or power on a run by run basis and the Chiefs could really use an A+ trait in the backfield.

Defensive End & Safety - Both position groups are making this list again but the Chiefs like to rotate guys at those positions. With multiple defensive ends and safeties set to hit free agency, both positions deserve to make the list twice. Currently, Mike Danna and Joshua Kaindoh are on the roster as the rotational defensive ends but the Chiefs have phased them out when given the bodies to do so. At the safety position, there are some young promising players like Devon Key and Zayne Anderson who would step into the third safety role, but given how often the Chiefs like to live in that look, they would need to feel confident in that player.

Swing Tackle - Against my own personal opinion, I’m going to pencil Lucas Niang in as the sure fire starter at right tackle next season. It’s not that he’s been bad for the team, I just don’t know if he’s been good enough to not want to bring in serious competition for that job. So I found a way to ride the fence on this one and get a swing tackle in there and improve upon Mike Remmers, who is set to hit free agency. If that player ends up being better than one of the starters at offensive tackle, maybe he gets the starting shot. If not, the Chiefs have suffered plenty of injuries along the offensive line in recent years to understand the importance of quality back-ups.

Wide Receiver and Cornerback - Another pair of positions making the list for a second time. Unlike defensive end and safety, these two groups have quality players in the “third” or rotational slot on the depth chart but bringing in competition for them would be good. Additionally, both positions are a single injury away from having to play these fourth in line players.

Need Depth

Really, every position on every football team needs depth so this is almost a useless tier but I have a reason. The three positions listed here needed some extra recognition for specific reasons.

Tight End - Truth be told, I wouldn’t hate moving this one all the up to the top of ‘green’ after seeing how massive Blake Bell has been for the Chiefs. The ability to get a tight end that can block on the offensive line opens up the whole world in regards to the run game. If the goal is still to move to a more gap heavy rushing attack, this player is a must have. As much as I like the upside of Noah Gray and think Travis Kelce is the best tight end in the NFL, neither excel in this role. Replacing Blake Bell with Bell himself or a comparable player is a sneaky need for the Chiefs.

Returner - The Chiefs have tried multiple different return men on punts and kickoffs this season and while all of them flash in their roles, there is a lack of consistency. More than consistency, the ball security from the position has been lacking. Just landing a dedicated, consistent returner that can also impact the game as a gunner would make Dave Toub happy.

Defensive Tackle - This is may the biggest controversy on the entire list because the Chiefs still have Chris Jones, Tershawn Wharton, and Khalen Saunders on the roster. Even in this chart, I’m asking them to address a starting nose tackle position so why would defensive tackle need even more attention later on? The Chiefs have simply shown they don’t have a ton of confidence in Saunders. Maybe he’s ready to take the next step in year three, maybe it’s been an issue of a crowded room, or something else entirely. In any case, it would be worth it to keep the defensive tackle room stocked full just in case Saunders isn’t getting run for a specific reason.

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Going Forward

I like starting every draft season with tiering out team needs like this because it helps my own watching of prospects moving forward. It helps with creating, gauging, and judging mock drafts by others. Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions on the team’s needs and get ready for the Bowl Season!

We’ll have Bowl Game matchup recaps, preliminary positional rankings, and an end of the regular season mock draft coming up in the next few weeks to look forward to!