The Chiefs Are Loading Up on Youth, and There’s Room for Even More
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Despite what some are saying, the Kansas City Chiefs are not in rebuild mode. The team has hosted four straight AFC Championship contests, been to two Super Bowls in the last four years and has the best head coach-quarterback duo in the NFL. To argue that the team is "rebuilding" wouldn't be accurate.
General manager Brett Veach has shown that he is not only wanting to keep the team playing at a high level, but wants to get younger in the process to help sustain that success long-term.
Of course, there will be a signing here and there to get a veteran player that can make an immediate impact or shore up a position of weakness. This offseason, though, Veach is showing his willingness to move on from veteran players in favor of an infusion of youth.
Dec 16, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) prepares to take the snap from center Creed Humphrey (52) in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
It started last year with the retooling of the offensive line. This version of the line was built on strength and youth. Four of the five new starters on the offensive line were rookies or players still on their rookie deals. One veteran signing, Joe Thuney, is an iron man and hadn’t missed a game due to injury in his entire career. Thuney was also highly regarded as one of the best left guards in the league and still under the age of 30.
Center Creed Humphrey and guard Trey Smith were resounding success picks from Veach in the 2021 NFL Draft. Humphrey was one of the best centers in the league in his first season. Smith, who was a sixth-round pick, was one of the biggest steals of the draft after his successful rookie season.
Right tackle Lucas Niang, who still has two more years on his rookie deal, was holding his own until he was lost to a season-ending knee injury. This is the one position on the line where the Chiefs will likely have a rotating cast or, at least, a hearty competition. The Chiefs could draft a swing tackle to compete for the spot and also add to the youth movement in the process. Vederian Lowe from Illinois is a name to watch in the later rounds of the draft.
Orlando Brown Jr., who got hit with the franchise tag recently, is a young and talented left tackle who is about to get a big payday soon. It will be well worth it for the Chiefs to keep Brown around to help protect franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the next several years.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen Veach get younger at multiple positions, even moving on from All-Pro talent in the process.
Jan 12, 2020; Kansas City, MO, USA; Houston Texans safety Justin Reid (20) celebrates against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter in a AFC Divisional Round playoff football game at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
It started with the addition of safety Justin Reid, a 25 year old coming over from the Houston Texans. An athletic and physically gifted player, Reid will give the Chiefs a burst of youth in the secondary that looked a bit slower last season. The team has moved on from safety Daniel Sorensen and while Tyrann Mathieu has still not been signed to a new team, the addition of Reid was the writing on the wall for Mathieu’s time in Kansas City.
Linebacker Anthony Hitchens was a cap casualty, but he was set to turn 30 before the start of the 2022 season. The Chiefs have been working toward a younger future at linebacker for a few years. Willie Gay Jr. and Nick Bolton stepped up and showed they can be more than capable of handling linebacker duties as a duo. The team did bring in veteran Jermaine Carter to be the third option. There is also a chance the team could use one of its many draft picks to take yet another young linebacker.
The Chiefs even added 24-year-old running back Ronald Jones recently. Though he never fully took off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he showed some signs of becoming the player many thought he could be coming out of USC. Head coach Andy Reid will surely figure out a way to utilize him to the best of his ability.
No one was off limits to the new shape of how the team is forming. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill was traded to acquire a load of draft picks. Getting younger at the wide receiver position and not paying for what Hill has done in the past versus what he can do in the future was a big step for Veach.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) celebrates after a first down catch in the first quarter during the AFC championship NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Cincinnati Bengals At Kansas City Chiefs Jan 30 Afc Championship 54 © Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
It wasn’t a move that was met with welcoming arms from the entirety of Chiefs Kingdom, and there will be big shoes to fill with Hill off to Miami to play with the Dolphins. Veach has already dipped into the free agent pool, adding 25-year-old JuJu Smith-Schuster and 27-year-old Marquez Valdez-Scantling to give the Chiefs a couple of replacements.
There has been plenty of speculation about the Chiefs adding a wide receiver in the first or second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. This class of wide receivers has some spectacular talent, and the Chiefs could benefit from adding another young star to the room. With Smith-Schuster on a team-friendly one-year deal, the Chiefs could even look to add two wideouts in the draft.
Veach and company currently have 12 picks to work with. This is the most draft capital the Chiefs have had under Veach, and it is the most picks of any team in this year's draft. The Chiefs have plenty to work with and if getting younger is the goal, the team can certainly do that through this draft.
Dec 4, 2021; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver George Pickens (1) celebrates after a catch against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first half during the SEC championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
As long as the Chiefs have Mahomes at quarterback, they will never be looking to rebuild — only reload. Veach did a great job of overhauling the offensive line last offseason to keep the team more than merely competitive. He's begun a project early this offseason to get younger at multiple positions, and time will tell if that can continue the success the team has sustained over the past several seasons.
It will take a little bit of time before we see the results, but once again, Veach has shown his ability to work around his $500 million quarterback. Despite being criticized early in free agency, it seems like “in Veach we trust” is a slogan folks can once again refer back to as draft season approaches.
