The Kansas City Chiefs had a franchise changing offseason that saw a the trade of their quarterback of the past several years.
Alex Smith is now with the Washington Redskins and the reins have been turned over to Patrick Mahomes III. The Kansas City Chiefs are hoping that this changing of the guard can help take them to the next level.
They used some of their offseason resources to provide Mahomes with an extra weapon. Signing Sammy Watkins was the team’s big offseason addition.
The hope is that he can finally live up to his huge potential. Look for Watkins to get a lot of opportunities to stretch the field in order to take advantage of Mahomes’ big arm. Based on the team’s investment, it would make sense for them to get Watkins involved early in the season.
This offseason saw more changes on the defensive side of the ball than many expected. The trade of Marcus Peters came as a surprise and opened a hole in the secondary.
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That hole will is expected to be filled by a combination of Kendall Fuller and David Amerson. Fuller was acquired in the trade that sent Smith to Washington. He’s coming off a breakout year where he established himself as a top-flight slot corner.
Kansas City’s linebacker corps received a much needed shot of youth and athleticism. The Chiefs threw a lot of money at Anthony Hitchens and drafted Dorian O’Daniel in the 3rd round.
Hitchens will work alongside Reggie Ragland and be expected to replace the production of long-time Chief Derrick Johnson. This move does represent an upgrade as Johnson’s age was starting to show.
The additions of Derrick Nnadi and Xavier Williams add some more talent to the defensive line. Nnadi was a steal in the 3rd round and could quickly become the team’s top nose tackle.
Williams has been a solid contributor with the Arizona Cardinals and will be counted on in Kansas City.
Overall, the Chiefs made a handful of risky moves. They almost had to move on from Alex Smith and give Mahomes a chance. However, the trade of Peters could come back to bit them.