Entering 2024 NFL Draft, Chiefs Believe They've 'Maximized' Offseason
General manager Brett Veach shared his observations on offseason moves and how things have unfolded for Kansas City in recent weeks.
Now over two months removed from a Super Bowl LVIII victory, the Kansas City Chiefs have their eyes set on doing everything in their power to capture the league's first-ever three-peat.
The upcoming 2024 NFL Draft will play a major role in that, but free agency also factored into the equation in a significant way.
Thus far, Kansas City has retained plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball but also let a big-time contributor go. Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed is now a member of the Tennessee Titans, although the trade-off was signing All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones to a massive new contract. Additionally, supporting players along the defensive line like Mike Danna and even linebacker Drue Tranquill are back in the fold. Football's best unit from a season ago will return plenty of familiar faces in 2024-25.
Speaking to the media before the draft, general manager Brett Veach emphasized the goal of ensuring the defense remained fortified.
“Yeah, so going into the offseason, a lot of work to do and always unique challenges depending on the year and what your cap situation looks like," Veach said. "When we left Vegas and had a chance to get together before the Combine, we were just kind of outlying some different ideas and some thought processes and one of the things that I think was glaring to us was we were potentially looking at losing most, if not all, of our defensive line — Mike Danna, Chris Jones, Turk (Tershawn) Wharton, Derrick Nnadi. So obviously a huge amount of concern there especially given how well our defense played last year — I mean it was one of the top units in the NFL and those guys have all played together in the system for a long time.
"Chris, right out the gate was our priority. (We) wanted to make sure we got him done. I think there was a little bit of a domino effect there. Had to move with LJ (Sneed), and we were able to bring Mike Danna back. I think being able to secure that front with Danna, Turk, Nnadi, and Jones was really important to us. Bringing back Drue Tranquill was important to us. So really focused on retaining as much of that defense from last year as we could."
Despite turning things around in time for the playoffs, it was a tumultuous season for Kansas City. Steve Spagnuolo's defense was elite all year long, but Andy Reid and Matt Nagy's offense sputtered and was closer to an average unit than a great one. That's a stark difference compared to what the Chiefs are used to with Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, leading many to clamor for improvement.
Signing Marquise "Hollywood" Brown was a good step towards making progress. Veach described the team as "lucky" for landing Brown under the context it did.
"Then like every year, whether it’s free agency or the draft, if there’s an opportunity to add a playmaker for Pat, we’re always going to be looking for those options," Veach continued. "(We) played it out, so to speak, at some other positions. I think we were lucky that Hollywood’s situation played out the way it did. I think he’s going to be a great one-year addition for us and he’s going to set himself up nicely moving forward. I think we’re excited and like I said, every year is different and unique. I think with the resources we had available, we maximized what we can do this offseason.”
With the defense projected to be great once again, the Chiefs have a solid baseline for expectations. The Brown pickup helps establish a clear floor for the offense, with the draft and any upcoming signings before the season raising the ceiling. With around $20 million in cap space and seven picks to work with, there's room for improvement.
Now having gotten the bulk work out of the way, Veach and Co. are ready to round out the reigning champs' roster.
