Just How Wide Is The Window For The Kansas City Chiefs?
Please pardon my recent hiatus. I’m happy to be back this week!
It’s been two years since the failures of a former regime prompted Chairman Clark Hunt to create a new pecking order within the organization. Hunt went on to hand-select both head coach Andy Reid and general manager John Dorsey to spearhead a new administration in Kansas City. Since then, the Chiefs are 20-for-33 and have posted back-to-back winning seasons. The team’s played a meaningful Week 17 game, with playoff implications, for two years straight. It’s clear the Chiefs are flirting with bonafide contention in the AFC, but one has to wonder how long they have to get over the hump.
We saw flashes of brilliance from the Chiefs in 2014. They pummeled the Super Bowl XLIX-favorite in a nationally-televised, late-September affair. Incidentally, one of Kansas City’s other eight wins came against the Super Bowl-defending Seahawks. That’s a meme-worthy accomplishment for such a newly-formed cast of characters. Kansas City posted other quality wins, against good football teams, in the regular season this year. We couldn’t say that about the 2013 team. So just how close are they?
ESPN and Pro Football Focus think the Chiefs are eight players away from Super Bowl viability. I think that number’s a little higher than it should be, but certainly there are at least glaring holes at left guard, wide receiver, and right tackle. A few defensive positions could also stand an upgrade. There’s still a core of talent here that should keep the team afloat a while, but those players are entering the twilight of their NFL careers. Decisions will have to be made about Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, and Dwayne Bowe over the next 24 months. All three of them have cost-prohibitive cap numbers forthcoming and you have to start thinking about whether or not they’re producing at a level commensurate with those dollars.
Quarterback Alex Smith will be 31 years old when the 2015 season starts. The Chiefs have him under contract until after the 2018 season, but he’ll occupy $20-million in cap space that year. Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe are Chiefs through 2017. Barring extensions, Derrick Johnson, Sean Smith, Eric Berry, Dontari Poe, and Tamba Hali will all become free agents following the 2015 season. It appears Kansas City has three seasons or less to make a serious run at the Super Bowl. This offseason will be key to helping the Chiefs load up for that run.
John Dorsey could have as many as 11 draft picks in the 2015 NFL Draft. He’ll also have important work to do in free agency. While it’s painfully obvious that the Chiefs need help in the here-and-now, they also need to backfill the talent that may soon be departing Kansas City. It’s tough to envision a scenario that keeps Bowe, Johnson, and Hali in Kansas City together for the next several seasons. One or more of them could be sent packing to make room for ascending players like Justin Houston and Rodney Hudson.
Time is always of the essence in the NFL. This organization needs to have a sense of urgency over the next three years. Sans postseason success, Clark Hunt may be forced to start thinking about dismantling the house he built. Sure, it’s possible that they can extend the window by grooming Alex Smith’s replacement (Aaron Murray for my money). The Chiefs also have a group of young players who figure prominently into their future like Travis Kelce, Knile Davis, Dee Ford, De’Anthony Thomas, and Phillip Gaines. The clock’s ticking and that pressurizes Dorsey’s job and gives him a small margin for error in maintaining the talent level in Kansas City.
What say you, Addicts? How long do you think the Chiefs have to win the big one? Is three years enough time to mount a serious Super Bowl campaign or do they need more runway? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Use the comment section below to weigh in. As always, we appreciate your readership and support.
Until next time, Addicts!