For Chiefs, Super Bowl window starts now
By Ryan Tracy
This is the start of a two, maybe three-year window for the Kansas City Chiefs, but its a tough row to hoe.
Playoff teams have a base to build from. Their performance in 2015 give them a core group to add to in order to build a roster that can improve and have a good chance of advancing farther in the 2016 postseason.
The tricky part is maintaining that base while hunting for players to bring in as the crowning pieces to 53-man roster with Super Bowl potential. Loyalty, money and feelings all play a role in keeping the roster moving forward toward that goal.
The franchise tag is a tool that can be used to help a GM achieve that goal. Often, it is a point of contention to put a tag on a player. It can lead to frustration and trouble moving negotiations closer to an agreement. It can also help stabilize talks as it may in Kansas City.
"“Our goal is to keep Eric in Kansas City for the foreseeable future. With today being the deadline to use the franchise tag, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to place the tag on Eric.”– Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey"
That seems that it could be a positive sign for Eric Berry and general manager John Dorsey. On the podcast this week, I went into the plus/minus of the tag and the value teams can find in the combine and the information it gives them. Here’s the podcast.
Keys to making a Super Bowl
Retain your top players while they are in their prime
Its not enough to put in the hours of work that is necessary to find the right players in the Draft. elite franchises don’t waste draft picks, time and money on selecting, building and developing talented players just to let them walk away in free agency. John Dorsey comes from the Green Bay management tree and the Packers have done a good job over the years to finding ways to keep their most talented players on the roster. It appears John Dorsey is trying to instill that philosophy in Kansas City as well.
Plug holes in free agency only when you have to
Option #1 for a successful NFL franchise is to draft your own roster to build a team that can win. There are times when building a specific position group though the draft cannot be accomplished in a timeline that will help the team be successful. Receiver has proven to be a spot that needs time to understand and grow into the Andy Reid offense. That is time the team doesn’t have. The passing game struggled until Dorsey brought in a receiver with experience in the West Coast Offense. Jeremy Maclin made a striking impact in his first season in Kansas City. Now, they need to find a #2 wide receiver that can come in and do the same in 2016.
Build depth in the Draft
Could the Chiefs re-sign Tamba Hali and Sean Smith? They could, but it remains to be seen. We should find out about Hali as this story is released. Their respective positions are two of the highest areas of need in this offseason. Even if they return, drafting young players at their positions is a high priority in order to be able to sustain injuries and still play at a high level. The linemen on both sides of the ball are also areas that could use quality depth and could see multiple selections in the upcoming draft. Rounds two through four are the sweet spot where teams can getting starters and high quality backups. Dorsey can make a lot of progress there.
The silly season of free agency is set to begin. What do you want to see happen, Addicts?