The Kansas City Chiefs’ focus is about to be heightened even further with the calendar flipping to the postseason soon. Hopes of completing a historic goal of a three-peat is quite possible given this team’s championship DNA. At the same time, decision-makers within Kansas City’s franchise will be balancing ideas with regard to the future of the team.

There are multiple areas of the roster under present evaluation. Some of these items may have an impact on the rest of this current campaign, but they also figure into which pieces can possibly be relied upon even more going forward.

What are some roster evaluations possibly under consideration for Kansas City in the remainder of this season? Here are four that the Chiefs can focus on.

Offensive Line Construction Outside Of Creed Humphrey

Center Creed Humphrey signed a well-earned contract extension just before the start of this season. But obviously, it has been a long year for the Kansas City blocking unit. Patrick Mahomes has already been sacked more this year than in any season of his career so far. To boot, the amount of times that he had been hit this year is a scary result for Chiefs fans.

Of course, evaluation of the offensive line has been key for Kansas City for much of the season. But in the final outings of the year, getting more clarity on the offensive line construction going into next year is crucial. There are a few interesting headlines to monitor.

At guard, there is not much question about the caliber of play that Trey Smith provides. He is set for free agency this offseason, and with his success already, Smith is likely to receive a hefty payday. Can they extend him, or will they be forced to replace Smith?

Left tackle remains a spot in flux and full of few answers. What can K.C. expect for Kingsley Suamataia’s development entering year two? Do they try to bring back D.J. Humphries? A decision there is huge for Mahomes and his psyche.

Finally, can Mike Caliendo be a piece worth relying on if others leave? His play in Cleveland was a nice start for his potential opportunity down the line. Along with Caliendo possibly getting a chance, does Kansas City address the offensive line with veterans, a draft pick, or both?

Safety Position Could Be Changing At Fair Rate

The safety spot is one where Kansas City may be seeing a fair amount of change entering 2025. Justin Reid is set for free agency. While his run in Kansas City has been solid, do the Chiefs think they should quickly bring him back? For what it is worth, this regime has not been shy about getting younger and moving on from safeties, even after a good few years from a player.

Meanwhile, there has been some regression and lack of impact from each of Chamarri Conner and Bryan Cook in 2024. Each player is still set to be back in 2025 in the latter portion of their rookie deals. But if the Chiefs are seeking more plays on the football and more turnovers being created, the snap counts of Conner and Cook could be affected next year. All in all, Kansas City seems likely to make new additions at safety.

Felix Anudike-Uzomah And His Finish To Year Two

Of the recent top draft picks, no player may be as big of a question mark as Felix Anudike-Uzomah. The defender has made some run stops here and there in his limited snaps, but as a pass rusher, we have not seen any real answers to what Anudike-Uzomah can offer. It is going to be fascinating to see if he gets some increased action late in the regular season and in parts of the playoffs.

No matter what his usage looks like for the rest of this season, however, Anudike-Uzomah must prove that he can be an option in specific situations moving into 2025. Is this going to come via an improvement in technique? Will FAU find more diversity in his pass rush moves? Those are items worth keeping in mind, if Anudike-Uzomah is going to finish this year and enter next year with any chance of playing more often.

Downfield Passing Emphasis

Mahomes is not having as bad of a season as some doubters would believe. Yet, the quarterback has had some rough games this year when attacking deep. There have been multiple reasons for this. His accuracy has been off when throwing deep. Receivers have been in the wrong spot and have not been on the same page quite as often. In addition, defenses have been hurrying Mahomes into off-target throws before he is even ready to fire deep.

Mahomes and rookie Xavier Worthy had a tremendous connection on Saturday against the Houston Texans. But when it comes to deep throws, the pair have been close on a few shots being able to turn into explosives. Though, the misses have been too frequent.

According to Pro Football Focus, Mahomes’ big time throw percentage of three percent is the lowest mark of any season in his career. That is an area where PFF focuses on the percent of throws that are generally down the field or into tight windows.

Can this element of the passing attack connect just a bit more late in the season and during the playoffs? If so, it could be the difference in how far the Chiefs go in the upcoming postseason run. A strong finish here could also exude more promise of that materializing further in 2025.