With Free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft finished, we take a look at the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive roster as a whole.
Quarterbacks
Patrick Mahomes has possibly been the face of the league for multiple seasons now. Mahomes is a two-time MVP and has been a top-five quarterback ever since becoming the starter in Kansas City. As long as Mahomes stays healthy it’s safe to say that the Chiefs will always be a threat in the AFC. Backing up Mahomes is an experienced veteran Chad Henne who is most known for his time in Jacksonville. Henne is a solid backup who’s experience will eliminate possible mistakes usually made by younger quarterbacks.
Running Backs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been a productive young running back after being selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. After a promising rookie campaign where he totaled 803 rushing yards, his career has been mostly disrupted by constant injuries. Due to Edwards-Helaire’s injuries the Chiefs took it upon themselves to bring in a reliable backup in Ronald Jones. Jones has been a very productive back in his last couple of years in Tampa Bay. Last year In Tampa Jones saw a decreased load as Leonard Fournette took the leading role. This year, Jones will bring in a powerful option to Kansas City’s backfield.
Wide Receivers
With the absence of Tyreek Hill who is left to fill his void? The Chiefs signed former Steelers wide out Juju Smith-Schuster. While Juju is a solid receiver he never really proved himself to be a true number one wide receiver. His best years came as the secondary option behind Antonio Brown, he never quite reached the same productivity that we’ve seen previously. After loosing Hill its quite clear that young receiver Mecole Hardman had to fill the role of the speedy receiver. Hardman has many of the same traits as Hill but has yet to have an explosive season. With Hill gone Hardman will have to be the man to blow the top off of opposing defenses. The Chiefs’ also signed former Packers receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling. Valdez-Scantling has had a decent career up to this point always averaging around 500 yards per season.
Tight End
Kansas City has arguably the best tight end in the league with Travis Kelce. Kelce has put up 1,000-yard seasons for the past six years. Three of those years he was selected as First-Team AP All-Pro. But with the absence of game breaker Tyreek Hill, Kelce will see the opposition focusing on him much more and it may be a struggle to see the production that he is accustomed to. Backing up Kelce is a seven-year veteran Blake Bell. Bell has struggled to gain any momentum in the NFL. He only has two 100-yard seasons and has yet to receive his first regular-season NFL touchdown.
Offensive Line
In 2021 the Chiefs’ offensive line ranked seventh according to pro football focus. They were very successful as they brought in offensive tackle Orlando Brown from the Ravens and signed guard Joe Thuney to a massive contract. The highlight for the line last year was rookie center Creed Humphrey as he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting as an offensive lineman. The Chiefs’ offensive line should see much of the same success from last year and should even improve slightly.
Review
The Kansas City Chiefs offensive roster mostly stayed the same, but took one big blow in loosing Tyreek Hill. If newly acquired receivers Smith-Schuster and Valdez-Scantling can plug the hole left by Hill, the team should be as explosive as ever. But the true test of the 2022 season is to see if the rest of the team can fill the void that the star receiver left.
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers along with Patrick!