Kansas City Chiefs: Offseason Analysis

The Chiefs are a nightmare.

They are sort of a wildcard with Scott Pioli as their GM. To say he plays his cards close to his vest is an understatement. They also brought in a new coach, Todd Haley, who was very successful as offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals.

Tyler Thigpen looked decent at times, but it’s hard to say if he’ll keep his hold on that starting QB position. He showed great ability with his feet, but that may not fit into Haley’s style. 

The big elephant in the room in Kansas City is Larry Johnson. They’ll likely try to trade him, but his contract will prohibit that. If he cries loud enough he’ll likely get cut.  A first-time coach doesn’t need that distraction. Jamaal Charles will get a crack at the starting tailback position if LJ is cut. Kolby Smith could also challenge for the spot. If LJ is cut, they’ll obviously have to address the hole at RB via the draft or free agency.

The Chiefs will likely add some talent at WR, though Mark Bradley looked solid at times.  Dwayne Bowe had a solid sophomore year, and will be a guy I’ll target based on the track record of Haley WRs.

Tony Gonzalez will  most likely return to the Chiefs. I don’t see them letting the Hall of Famer go. 

LB Pat Thomas and safeties Jarrad Page and Jon McGraw are their key free agents on defense. The Chiefs will have to bring in somebody to generate a pass rush. They were the worst in the NFL last season, with only 10 sacks. How did that Jared Allen (14.5 sacks) trade work out for them? It’s not all bad news for the K.C. defense, though, as they created 29 turnovers last year.   

KFFL Free Agent Tracker:

Pos	Player Name	FA Status	Previous Team	Current Team
WR	Rod Gardner	UFA	Kansas City Chiefs	Free Agent
WR	Maurice Price	RFA	Kansas City Chiefs	Free Agent
WR	Jeff Webb	RFA	Kansas City Chiefs	Free Agent
OT	Adrian Jones	UFA	Kansas City Chiefs	Free Agent
LB	Pat Thomas	UFA	Kansas City Chiefs	Free Agent
CB	Tyron Brackenridge	RFA	Kansas City Chiefs	Free Agent
SS	Jon McGraw	UFA	Kansas City Chiefs	Free Agent
FS	Jarrad Page	RFA	Kansas City Chiefs	Free Agent