The Kansas City Chiefs have made an attempt to reload their roster through the 2019 NFL draft. They’re gearing up for a 2019 Super Bowl run after coming extremely close in the season prior. They’ve made a lot of changes on the defensive side of the ball, adding a new coaching staff, a new scheme and tons of new personnel to go with it.
The draft helped the Chiefs improve a few different position groups, but the team also neglected to spend significant draft capital at a few key spots. Here’s a look at which position groups have improved the least for the Chiefs following the draft:
Tight end
The Chiefs didn’t need to attack the tight end position in the 2019 NFL draft, but a lot of people thought they should have. Travis Kelce is one of the NFL’s best at the position, but after losing Demetrius Harris to the Browns in free agency, the Chiefs are short on depth.
The team added Blake Bell in free agency, and they have a backup they like in Deon Yelder, despite a lack of experience. The 2019 draft class was considered deep at the position group, but the Chiefs chose to wait until undrafted free agency to address the position.
In undrafted free agency they added Southern Utah’s Logan Parker, and Princeton’s John Lovett. Brett Veach seems to be quite excited about Lovett from Princeton, and likens his role to Bears TE Trey Burton.
The Chiefs won’t have Travis Kelce early on in the offseason program as he recovers from ankle surgery, so someone will be asked to step up and play with the first team offense in his absence. The problem is there’s no clear answer as to who that someone will be.
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Cornerback
Entering the 2019 NFL draft, most Chiefs fans would have considered the cornerback position the top need for this football team. In fact, our Day 2 poll had wide receiver and cornerback as the top positions the Chiefs should draft.
It’s incredibly baffling that the Chiefs waited until the sixth round to address the position, where they selected South Carolina CB Rashad Fenton. It’s hard to expect much more than special teams contributions from a sixth-round pick, though, the Chiefs seem to be quite high on Fenton.
Additionally, the Chiefs added undrafted free agent Mark Fields out of Clemson. According to Chiefs GM Brett Veach, the team had a draftable grade on Fields, and they expect him to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster. They don’t expect him to compete for a starting gig, though.
The lack of addressing this position means the Chiefs could roll with a starting CB trio of Charvarius Ward, Kendall Fuller and Bashaud Breeland during the 2019 season. They could potentially seek to add a veteran through free agency or trade at some point too, but it’s hard to argue that this group has improved through the draft.
The bottom of the roster may be more competitive, but the Chiefs have yet to address concerns about starting talent. Perhaps there’s some belief that new defensive coaching could help, but they’ve still neglected to add new pieces to compete directly with current starters.
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Offensive tackle
The offensive tackle position might not be considered a huge need, but whenever you have a super star quarterback it’s important to make sure they’re protected. Adding a swing tackle through the draft could have gone a long way toward ensuring the protection of Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs have an upcoming decision to make on left tackle Eric Fisher. In 2020, the Chiefs can save $9.5 million in cap space by cutting Fisher according to Spotrac. They’d only carry a dead cap charge of $2.55 million, which is quite affordable.
Fisher’s contract ranks just outside of the top-10 for left tackle money, and the team might view that as a bargain. However, if the team found themselves in a situation where they could upgrade and get cheaper at the position, cutting Fisher is something they could consider.
Addressing a hypothetical like this a year in advance would have shown some good foresight on the part of the Chiefs. Perhaps there is someone on the roster that they view as a natural replacement for Fisher, but right now that someone isn’t very clear. It’s also possible that they’re comfortable and confident in Fisher, which would be consistent with the front offices attitude toward Fisher to this point.
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Linebacker
Linebacker was a disappointing position group for the Chiefs during the 2018 season. Anthony Hitchens fell short of expectations, Reggie Ragland took a step back from the 2017 season and Dorian O’Daniel could only get on the field during sub package situations.
The Chiefs have since switched to a 4-3 defense and added a new linebacker coach in Matt House. They’ve also kept around the same guys from last season, while not addressing the position through the 2019 NFL draft. They did add some low-level free agents, and sign a few players in undrafted free agency. Are any of these players immediate impact players that make the team better? It’s hard to say.
On the surface it looks like the Chiefs are hoping for improvements from their core LB group based on the coaching and scheme change. Still, in a year from now Ragland, Damien Wilson and Jeremiah Attaochu are set to become free agents. Hitchens also has an out year in his contract that could be exercised if he doesn’t improve. It’s hard to imagine this unit getting any weaker, but they could lose a lot of players by the 2020 season without any clear replacements on the roster.
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