With the Chiefs losing key players this offseason, what players on the roster will step up this season? With the absence of Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu, key positions on this team have young inexperienced players who are ready for their time to shine in the NFL. Who will be the Chiefs’ breakout players?
Marquez Valdes-Scantling is a new addition to the Chiefs roster this year. In his previous four seasons spent with the Green Bay Packers, Valdes-Scantling improved year after year. He was used as a bigger deep threat and was also valuable in the red zone. Valdes-Scantling was on pace to have his best season yet before he struggled to stay on the field due to multiple injuries.
Valdes-Scantling’s value has gone under the radar during this year’s free agency. He will add a lot of value in every situation for the Chiefs this season. With Tyreek Hill in Miami Valdes-Scantling can take over as a primary deep threat while being a main option in the red zone. His size and speed will make him a favorite of Patrick Mahomes and will possibly be the best addition of the offseason.
The third-year man out of Louisiana Tech L’Jarius Sneed is ready to be the leader of Kansas City’s secondary. In his previous two seasons he has recorded five interceptions and 88 solo tackles. Sneed has proven to be a steal in the 2020 NFL Draft where he was selected in the fourth round. Entering into his third professional career he is now the most experienced in the secondary.
Sneed was one of the better pieces in the struggling 2021 secondary. And with the loss of Tyrann Mathieu, that leaves Sneed as the player with the most time in Kansas City’s defensive system. He will have to step into a leadership role this year as the rest of this secondary is inexperienced. This new role will help Sneed as he takes over as the team’s best defensive back.
Mecole Hardman is entering his fourth professional year in the NFL. In the 2021 season, he had his best statistical year yet with 693 receiving yards while only scoring twice. Hardman is a small but quick and agile receiver just like Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs also love to incorporate their speed wide receivers in the run game. And with Hill not on the roster, this leaves Hardman to take on an additional workload.
Image courtesy of Arrowhead Addict
Hill in a lot of ways was holding back Mecole Hardman from his true potential. They were practically the same type of receiver but Hill’s experience and game-changing speed took away Hardman’s touches. This season with a practically all-new receiver core Hardman is the only one with a built relationship with Mahomes. This will help him out tremendously early on in the season. Even last year with the Hill on the roster Hardman received 21 more targets than the year before. Mahomes will look for Hardman to be the “replacement” for Hill and will be targeted at least 95-100 times this season as well as getting involved in the run game.
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