Brett Veach and the Chiefs' Premium Position Puzzle
It is almost universally agreed upon that the Kansas City Chiefs' three most significant needs this offseason are wide receiver, offensive tackle and defensive end. No matter the order of priority, those three positions are a 'must address' for the Chiefs before the start of the 2023 season. They would have had to address those positions regardless of what happened with Orlando Brown Jr. and Frank Clark but with it looking like neither will be in Kansas City for 2023, the pressure to improve those positions only gets more significant.
Up to now, the Chiefs' investment history in those positions under Brett Veach could have been better. While Veach has done a great job building the roster and strengthening areas of weakness, leading to two Super Bowl victories, he has room to improve on hitting at the most vital positions. Tyreek Hill, Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz are examples of players Veach inherited, but he has yet to find long-term replacements for them. When all these positions have question marks simultaneously, it causes concern for how they can all be filled within one offseason.
Conversely, the Chiefs won the Super Bowl less than a month ago with issues at the same positions. They had an underwhelming wide receiver corps, offensive tackles that gave up the most pressures in the league and a patched-together defensive end group. While all honest truths, is that realistically replicable?
As mentioned, at the time of this article being published, it looks like Clark and Brown won't be back for the 2023 season. Travis Kelce, the clear-cut top option in the Chiefs' passing game, turns 34 in October. While he hasn't shown signs of slowing down yet, father time eventually catches up. Also, the group of Carlos Dunlap, Andrew Wylie and JuJu Smith-Schuster — who all played pivotal roles in the Chiefs' Super Bowl LVII victory — are all slated to be free agents in less than a week.
There aren't reliable replacements currently on the roster, either. Kadarius Toney is an extremely talented wide receiver but has yet to show the ability to stay healthy. Skyy Moore is a promising player but barely saw the field during his rookie season. To the offensive tackle solution, Lucas Niang has missed more games than he's played. Darian Kinnard and Prince Tega Wanogho haven't played real snaps in the NFL. Lastly, George Karlaftis and Mike Danna are lovely pieces in the defensive end room but outside of them, the Chiefs need pass rushers they can rely on.
The need for more reliability and ready replacements is a product of overspending on less valuable positions rather than continuing to stockpile talent at the premium spots on the roster. It's hard to say the Chiefs shouldn't have spent four top 100 picks plus a significant contract on linebackers and a first-round choice on a running back (as well as other investments) because they have won multiple Super Bowls over that timeframe. However, some argue they still would have won those titles and been in a better position moving forward if the team went about things differently.
This offseason, the organization is expected to address the needed premium spots. They should pour assets into those positions and continue to do so in future years. Currently, the biggest priority is finding the franchise's long-term left tackle. With the tremendous interior offensive line Veach has built, the Chiefs can get away with a rookie going through growing pains early in the season. The Chiefs have only had two left tackles since Andy Reid arrived in 2013, drafting Fisher with the first overall pick and later trading for Brown using a first-round selection. A hefty investment in that position is likely expected.
Feb 12, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, US; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Skyy Moore (24) runs the ball in for a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
At wide receiver and defensive end, the best strategy is to throw bodies at the position this offseason and hope for the striking of gold. With the most significant asset and possibly more going to left tackle, the Chiefs probably won't be able to get the big names in free agency or the draft. Continuing to develop young players while stockpiling talent, similar to what they did with the offensive line in the 2021 offseason and cornerback in 2022, would put them in the best position to find a blue-chip player at those spots as soon as the 2024 offseason.
It's not too early to say Veach is the best general manager in Chiefs history, but one can say that while also pointing out where he must improve. If Kansas City is to continue its run of dominance the franchise will need to find weapons for Patrick Mahomes, linemen to protect him and pass rushers to get after the opposing quarterback. That'll continue to put the Chiefs in the best position long-term while finding good role players to fill out the rest of the roster.
