The Kansas City Chiefs have a lot of work to do after the Super Bowl loss to get back some of the credits they have banked over the years, and as the draft approaches, many are doubting the AFC champions’ ability to bounce back. That is mostly due to the offense under Patrick Mahomes’ guidance. The free agency signings of Jaylon Moore and Elijah Mitchell are seen as the “biggest” additions, while Kareem Hunt, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Marquise Brown were all re-signed.
That doesn’t scream big, positive change. Running it back with a similar offense, along with a couple of additions, hasn’t moved the needle for Kansas City detractors, but with the NFL Draft coming up, there’s a chance to fill some roster holes and get those good vibes back. For Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano, in what he calls an ideal situation, Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson somehow falls to No. 31, and the Chiefs get a stud to lead their running back room with Isiah Pacheco and Hunt.
“In this dream scenario, the Chiefs get it all and draw a collective head shake from the rest of the league for getting Henderson in the second round after taking one of the top tackles at the end of the first,” Manzano writes. “An improved offensive line with explosive playmakers such as Henderson and 2024 first-round pick Xavier Worthy could be enough to give Patrick Mahomes a dominant offense again.”
With Pacheco on the last year of his rookie deal, and Hunt on a one-year deal, this could be looked as a changing of the guard for the run game. Running a 4.43, Henderson would add some instant juice to the NFL’s 26th rushing attack from last season (101.2 p/g), but perhaps what he will bring that will most excite Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid is his pass protection.
Seen as one of the best in the class, Mahomes and his 47 sacks last year means something has to be done to fix it. Moore and Henderson would go some way to easing those fears. But a revamped run game with a genuine threat behind Mahomes is something the Chiefs haven’t had, and who knows, maybe a move like this is all Kansas City needs to bounce back with a vengeance in 2025.
