Kansas City Chiefs Face Plenty of Holes to Fill in Their 2012 Roster

Regardless of how the Kansas City Chiefs finish their 2011 season, the upcoming offseason presents many challenges in upgrading their roster.

Few teams ever suffer the number of injuries Kansas City experienced, a situation exacerbated by the number of upper-tier performers who spent some or all of this season on injured reserve. However, this year exposed many shortcomings that cannot be overlooked heading into 2012.

The greatest of these talent gaps lies in the Chiefs' offensive line. Contrary to many comments found online, Scott Pioli has shown a solid commitment to upgrading the quality of players who work "in the trenches." The last two years, Kansas City spent a second- and third-round pick to bring in quality interior linemen. They also added free agent Ryan Lilja, who this year replaces Brian Waters at left guard.

Their tackles remain a weakness, however. In his fourth season, left tackle Branden Albert regressed in his game, likely a product of Waters' departure. Albert spent his collegiate career at guard—considering his recent play, the Chiefs might need to entertain a shift back to guard where he'd compete against Lilja for time.

Albert isn't the biggest problem, though. Right tackle Barry Richardson remains the weak link on the line; he regularly gives up on plays, lacks the discipline to avoid penalties and cannot muster the strength to dominate his opponent. The Chiefs need to let Richardson walk in free agency and find a pair of tackles to complete their transition to a younger, more skilled line.

Similarly, the Chiefs' defensive line continues to fall short despite a pair of high draft picks playing end. Both Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson flash moments of quality play, but Dorsey plays out of his natural 4-3 tackle position. Jackson was simply overestimated; issues with the transition of power reportedly led to poor scouting and an inflated draft grade on Jackson's abilities.

The Chiefs possess a couple positive prospects in Jerrell Powe, Allen Bailey and Amon Gordon. However, all three of these players will likely need a couple more years before they develop fully. That leaves Kansas City lacking the dominant front-line push needed to create opportunities in the opponent's backfield.

Finally, the Chiefs need to address their overall depth. Kansas City should feel comfortable with a number of their starters, but the talent level drops drastically when those players are out of the lineup.

Kansas City lacks a respectable running back to work outside the tackles, as well as a reserve tight end capable of contributing in the passing game. The loss of Tony Moeaki and Jamaal Charles highlighted just how weak the depth is after their early exit this season.

On defense, the safety position has few options should a starter become injured. Jon McGraw is a decent reserve player, but is better served working on special teams or in dime packages. He lacks the overall talent to be an every-down player. The other options at safety are even less inspiring.

If Kansas City provides the cautionary tale of poor depth, the Green Bay Packers are the gold standard. Green Bay lost far more players last year, yet overcame their injuries to win the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs have little hope for that this year, but should be in the mix soon provided they look to retain their current talent and focus on building depth.