Are Chiefs WRs the Most Important Position Group in 2023 NFL Season Super Bowl Race?
The NFL promotes the illusion of parity and that each of its 32 teams can beat anyone else to make a run toward a championship. While reality skews a little differently, a couple factors do play into certain franchises not being obviously favored over others since no roster is perfect.
The salary cap and 53-man rosters limit the overall quality of each lineup. Even the league's most talented groups still possess question marks, starting with the reigning champions.
After losing JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency, are the Kansas City Chiefs' wide receivers the unit with the most prove among the top Super Bowl contenders during the 2023 campaign?
Of the five teams deemed as the best bets to capture the Lombardi Trophy, per DraftKings, a possible problem area can be identified.
However, one specific spot has the greatest potential to swing its respective franchise's standing among the league's best. It's not in Kansas City, though we'll start there since the Chiefs will need certain individuals to elevate their performances and help in the organization's search for back-to-back championships.
Kansas City Chiefs
During the game-winning drive of Super Bowl LVII, Smith-Schuster got the chains moving with a 10-yard reception for the Chiefs' initial first down. He also drew the infamous holding call on Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry that provided Kansas City with a new set of downs and allowed the Chiefs to run off almost all of the remaining time before kicking the deciding field goal.
After leading Kansas City's wide receivers with 78 receptions and 933 receiving yards, Smith-Schuster signed with the New England Patriots this offseason. Granted, tight end Travis Kelce is Patrick Mahomes' preferred target. But the ability to consistently win on the outside makes the Chiefs' offense more dynamic, as previously seen with Tyreek Hill tilting the field.
General manager Brett Veach signed Richie James in free agency and drafted Rashee Rice in this year's second round, but the Chiefs' top four wide receivers—Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson—were already on the roster.
However, none of them managed more than 687 receiving yards last season.
Without the speed of Hill, or even Mecole Hardman, and Smith-Schuster gone, progression is needed. The young targets are aware of their situation.
"Coming into year two, I definitely have the hang of everything, just knowing the playbook, what Pat likes, Coach [Andy] Reid likes," said Moore, whom the Chiefs selected in last year's second round. "I knew what I needed to improve on. I found that out early in the season last year. I've been waiting for a long time because I knew what to correct.
"I just want to show (Mahomes), 'If you look this way, you won't be made. I'm going to be a reliable weapon for him.'"
Kelce remains the Chiefs' top target, but more will be needed from Kansas City's young wide receivers.
Philadelphia Eagles
During the Eagles' championship appearance against the Chiefs, their off-ball linebackers combined for 10 total tackles.
General manager Howie Roseman never placed a heavy emphasis on the position. But the connective tissue between the Eagles' talented defensive front and experienced secondary can't be a complete afterthought.
Both of Philadelphia's starting linebackers—T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White—signed elsewhere in free agency.
Nicholas Morrow became a full-time starter for the first time in 2022, though he still signed a one-year, $1.2 million prove-it deal this offseason to join the Eagles. The organization also drafted Nakobe Dean when the Butkus Award winner, as college football's top linebacker, unexpectedly fell into the third round of the '22 draft.
With Edwards and White gone, Dean must now man the middle of the field, call the defense and become a team leader in his second year.
"It shows that they are ready for me to step up, and I feel like I'm ready to step up," Dean told reporters last month. "I've been ready, but it's time to actually do it now, and it's time for me to put out whatever I can do for this team to ultimately win.
"I'm ready to do it."
Dean, in particular, could become the long-term solution as part of Sean Desai's new defensive scheme.
San Francisco 49ers
In what projects as a watered down conference when compared to the AFC, the San Francisco 49ers could very well turn out to be the Eagles' top competition for NFC supremacy.
How effective the Niners actually are depends on who's behind center, which makes their quarterback room the most important position group among this year's contenders.
Last season, the team cycled through Trey Lance, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2, then Jimmy Garoppolo, whose campaign ended early because of an injured foot, and eventually Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy. But something special happened along the way when the seventh-round rookie emerged and looked like what the 49ers hope will be a long-term franchise quarterback.
Unfortunately, Purdy suffered a torn UCL in his throwing arm during the NFC Championship Game. His recovery may be the most crucial rehabilitation of any player coming back this season.
The sophomore signal-caller appears well ahead of schedule, though. According to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Purdy is currently in Jacksonville with his personal quarterback coach, Will Hewlett, and orthopedic specialist, Tom Gormely, to progress his rehab and ramp up throwing sessions.
"He is really aggressive in terms of his approach at working on the little details at being a great quarterback," Hewlett said during an interview on The Jim Rome Show in January. " … His ability to take on new technique changes in his release or changes in his footwork, then sit back and be critical of his own areas he needed to improve on, that all immediately stood out."
The 49ers are good enough to win with Lance or Sam Darnold at the helm. But the team should be championship contenders when the offense is fully settled with Purdy leading the way.
Buffalo Bills
NFL organizations understand that creating pressure on opposing quarterbacks helps to derail high-octane offenses.
The Buffalo Bills attempted to address their pass-rush a year ago when general manager Brandon Beane signed future Hall of Fame defender Von Miller to a whopping six-year, $120 million contract.
Miller played in 11 games before suffering a torn ACL. Amazingly, he still tied for the team lead with eight sacks despite missing 42 percent of the Bills' season.
In total, the Bills' 40 sacks tied for 14th overall.
The eight-time Pro Bowl nominee is one of the most natural and fluid pass-rushers the NFL has ever season. Miller's quickness and flexibility to bend the edge make him a nightmare for offensive linemen. However, a major knee injury as a player enters his mid-30s may take a longer recuperation period and could limit the veteran's skill set to some degree.
As a result, Miller can't rush the process.
"That's the key: Get back healthy," Hall of Fame defensive end and Bills all-time great Bruce Smith told The Buffalo News. "You can't perform at a high level unless you're healthy. As you get older, staying healthy becomes more and more of a challenge."
Buffalo still has Greg Rousseau, Shaq Lawson and A.J. Epenesa to work off the edges. Leonard Floyd's free-agent addition will also help if Miller isn't quite ready for the start of the regular season or isn't quite the same upon his return.
Cincinnati Bengals
Another year of the Cincinnati Bengals still trying to settle their offensive line.
The team's '22 campaign came to an end when the Chiefs sacked quarterback Joe Burrow five times and accumulated 12 quarterback hits during the AFC Championship Game.
Since entering the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the '20 draft, defenses sacked Burrow an astonishing 153 times.
The Bengals tried to address their protection concerns last offseason by signing veterans Ted Karras, Alex Cappa and La'el Collins, as well as drafting Cordell Volson in the fourth round. None of group played particularly well, and Collins finished the campaign on injured reserve with a torn ACL and MCL.
In this seemingly never-ending quest to keep Burrow upright, the organization signed four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to a four-year, $64.1 million free-agent contract. Brown's size (6'8", 345 lbs) and length should play to Burrow's strengths as a hair-trigger passer.
"A lot of these drops by Patrick (Mahomes) right here in the Super Bowl were similar to kind of what I'm going to see in Cincinnati," Brown said when comparing his last two quarterbacks on NFL Live, "but so many different concepts that we run in Cincinnati compared to Kansas City from a pass standpoint with the receivers, you know, it's gonna be a lot more firm. It's gonna be a lot more quicker, you know, I'll be able to be a lot more aggressive in certain situations, just given the personnel and the way that they call plays."
As long as Jonah Williams is comfortable making the transition from left to tackle (after requesting a trade this offseason), the Bengals' front five could finally be settled to push Burrow and Co. toward the franchise's first championship.
Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.
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