The Kansas City Chiefs are in the midst of Phase 3 of the offseason program.
While Brett Veach’s work to compose a roster for the 2023 NFL season is hardly complete, the front office has assembled their initial 90-man roster. They’ve made additions at the top of the roster all the way down to the bottom, featuring some new faces who will help the team defend their Super Bowl title in 2023.
Some believe Kansas City had an offseason that will help Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes return to the Super Bowl. Others think the offseason acquisitions have been lackluster compared to the departures.
Below you’ll find a collection of grades for the Chiefs’ offseason from various media outlets:
Pro Football Focus: B
Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson seems a bit skeptical about some of the decisions the Chiefs made this offseason.
The Chiefs elected to let Orlando Brown Jr. walk and replace him with Jawaan Taylor at a huge cost of $20 million a year. Taylor, who has only ever played right tackle, was initially supposed to play on the left side, but the team has since signed Donovan Smith and will likely keep Taylor on the right side, where he has been an excellent pass blocker. Charles Omenihu, safety Mike Edwards and linebacker Drue Tranquill are solid additions who can all play extensively in 2023.
In the draft, the Chiefs weren’t flashy with their first pick but elsewhere targeted some fascinating projects. Rashee Rice had enigmatic tape at SMU and now goes to Andy Reid to see what he can become at the NFL level, while Wanya Morris represents the third project tackle the team has drafted in recent years.
CBS Sports: D
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin thinks that only the Chargers, Cardinals and Rams had worse offseasons than the Chiefs.
Perhaps they were right to balk at LT Orlando Brown Jr.’s demands, but turning around and spending $20M per year on ex-Jaguar Jawaan Taylor, with apparent plans to move the former mid-tier starter to the left side, is risky. Adding electric LB Drue Tranquill is an underrated move for Steve Spagnuolo’s “D,” but they’re also still lacking juice out wide for Patrick Mahomes, with both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman landing elsewhere and only second-rounder Rashee Rice entering thus far.
Bleacher Report: B
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox thought the Chiefs did better in the draft than they did in free agency and praised the team for having a good plan in place with Eric Bieniemy’s departure.
If we’ve learned one thing about the Chiefs over the past few years, it’s that Kansas City will remain competitive as long as head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are in charge.
The Chiefs have done a tremendous job of replacing and adjusting to player departures, and that will likely play out again in 2023.
Kansas City lost key contributors like left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., safety Juan Thornhill, wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, right tackle Andre Wylie and pass-rusher Frank Clark. To replace them, the Chiefs brought in veterans like Jawaan Taylor, Charles Omenihu, Richie James, Mike Edwards and Drue Tranquill before turning to the draft.
In the draft, the Chiefs landed pass-rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah, wideout Rashee Rice and offensive lineman Wanya Morris in the first three rounds. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith was signed following draft weekend.
Kansas City also managed to retain role players like wideout Justin Watson, tight end Blake Bell, defensive lineman Derrick Nnadi, guard Nick Allegretti and safety Deon Bush.
This is a franchise that has made five consecutive AFC title games, in part, because it has been smart about picking and choosing who to keep and who to replace. That trend continued this offseason, and not just with the roster.
With offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy departing for the Washington Commanders, Kansas City made the smart decision to call up senior assistant and former coordinator (2016-17) Matt Nagy to replace him.
Nagy was welcomed back after being fired as the Bears head coach at the end of the 2021 season, and he should help maintain an elite level of continuity on offense. In Nagy’s last season as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator—and the last before Mahomes became the full time starter—the offense ranked fifth in yards and sixth in scoring.
Yardbarker: B
Yardbarker’s Seth Trachtman seems to buy into the improvements the Chiefs felt they made via free agency and the draft this offseason.
Navigating the salary cap with the massive contracts of Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones is no easy task, but the Chiefs made it work. They hope to get better pass protection from free agent signings Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor than they did with Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie and did well to sign Mike Edwards on the cheap after losing Juan Thornhill. The loss of veteran defensive linemen Frank Clark, Carlos Dunlap, and Khalen Saunders stings, though the team is younger up front with Charles Omenihu and first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah. The biggest concern is wideout after losing JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman, but the team expects improvement from Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore while also adding Richie James and second-round pick Rashee Rice.
Sportscasting: C
Sports Casting’s Stephen Sheehan didn’t get the memo that the Chiefs might actually keep Jawaan Taylor on the right side.
The reigning champions let their starting left tackle walk, which means Patrick Mahomes must trust someone new to keep him out of harm’s way. The only problem? Jawaan Taylor has spent his entire NFL career on the right side.
Overall, the Chiefs should otherwise look largely the same, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing given how last season ended.
