As the dust has settled and the Kansas City Chiefs organization has turned its focus to the next season—and not the implosion that was the Super Bowl—the chatter about the Chiefs continues to focus on and be dominated by the lines, specifically on offense. And yes, those were issues, but don’t allow that talk to remove focus from other areas the Chiefs must address with the remainder of the offseason.
Before we go any further, let’s address this so those who read this don’t believe I’ve completely lost my mind. In the Super Bowl, the Chiefs’ offensive line sucked. They were dreadful. As a unit, they appeared to lack a combination of focus and fire. Combine that with other issues, and they got their lunch handed to them, forcefully. Okay, let’s move on.
The Chiefs’ offense needs more than just o-line adjustments on the roster.
One of the main issues with the offense—and it showed up in the Super Bowl—was the speed on offense, or more to the point, the lack thereof. What used to be the self-named Legion of Zoom has now become pedestrian in speed and quickness (outside of Xavier Worthy). Between JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kareem Hunt, DeAndre Hopkins, and Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ skill position players moved against the Eagles at pedestrian speeds.
The Chiefs’ lack of speed allowed the Eagles to stack the box with defenders and then use their pass rushers to attack the passer. Mahomes was forced to hold the ball because his receivers couldn’t get open and/or was forced to run for his life because the defenders had broken through. Regardless, the lack of speed on the outside was readily apparent and a contributing (albeit small) factor in the issues with the offensive line.
If the Chiefs’ offense could truly attack downfield with multiple options as they had in 2018 and 2019, the Eagles’ defense would not have been able to sit on shorter routes and push coverage forward. Part of what aided the offensive line in the early years of the Mahomes era was the fact that the defense had to respect that every receiver on the field could go deep. That respect is no longer there.
The return of Rashee Rice should help somewhat. While not overly fast, he’s quicker than JuJu is or DeAndre was in this offense. Not sure how much time, if any, he will miss this season due to suspension stemming from last offseason, but based on videos on social media, he certainly appears to be healthy. Hopefully, Marquise Brown can be healthy for most or all of the upcoming season, which can help as well.
However, despite the return of Rice and Brown, the Chiefs need more. Travis Kelce is no longer the downfield threat he’d been earlier in his career and certainly appears to be approaching the last season of his career. And depth at the position certainly isn’t good at the moment. Beyond the four mentioned receivers (Worthy, Rice, Brown, Smith-Schuster), the only other receiver with game experience is Nikko Remigio.
While I don’t expect it in the first round, I won’t be shocked to see KC take a receiver on Day 2 who can get up the field—and quickly. Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond could be a candidate for this pick, a player with speed but someone who won’t be depended upon early to be a front-line starter. (The Chiefs have reportedly brought Bond in for a pre-draft visit.)
Perhaps it’s someone else, either in the draft or in free agency. But regardless, the Chiefs’ offense needs to become faster, especially on the perimeter. The Chiefs roster is set for another season of deep playoff expectations, but to fulfill those expectations, the Chiefs must remake a commitment to speed.
