The Chiefs sign right tackle Mitchell Schwartz to a five-year deal
I’ve been clamoring for the Chiefs to either sign or draft a true right tackle since they decided to let Branden Albert leave town and moved Eric Fisher to the left side. The Chiefs however, did not appear to be overly concerned about it. Instead they simply filled the spot with last minute waiver wire signings like Ryan Harris and Jah Reid or hoped that swing tackle Donald Stephenson might eventually develop into something more (good luck with that Denver). So I did a double take when I saw the report come across Twitter that the Chiefs had gone out and signed the best right tackle on the free agent market.
I’ve been banging the offensive line drum for so long that this move is a dream come true for me. Much like Jaye Howard, I just didn’t think KC would have a shot at him and again the surprise was both that the Chiefs landed him and that the contract wasn’t too steep. Yes, they paid Schwartz well, but they didn’t have to break the bank like you do for top left tackles despite the fact that now a days right tackles need to pass protect just as well as left tackles do. This was a huge get for KC and I can’t give the move anything less than an A+, kudos to John Dorsey on this one.
The Chiefs sign wide receiver Rod Streater to a one-year deal
Many KC fans had adding a starting caliber wide receiver as one of the top needs on the Chiefs offseason to-do list. I was not one of them. In my opinion, adding a player of Rod Streater’s caliber is just about right. He should be good enough to contribute and has a chance to win the number two wide receiver spot but KC didn’t have to commit a big contract or high draft pick to do it. Why don’t I think the Chiefs need a big time number two wideout? Simply put, I don’t think their offense calls for one.
In the first three years of the Alex Smith/Andy Reid offense in KC the Chiefs have averaged 321 completions per year. When you have a guy like Jeremy Maclin who could easily catch 90 passes, a tight end in Travis Kelce that could catch 80 passes, and a running back in Jamaal Charles that if healthy could easily catch 40 passes, that’s 210/321 passes right there. That only leaves about 110 receptions left on the table for guys like Streater, Albert Wilson, Chris Conley, DeAnthony Thomas, Demetrius Harris, James O’Shaughnessy, and Charcandrick West to compete for. That’s an average of only about 16 receptions each for those seven players.
If the Chiefs want to draft another wideout in the mid to late rounds I’m fine with that, but I don’t see a need for another major addition (they still have young guys like Da’ron Brown, Kenny Cook, and Fred Williams on the roster too). I think the combo of Streater, Conley, and Wilson can give the Chiefs most of the production they need at wide receiver after KC’s big trio of Maclin, Kelce, and Charles take the bulk of the receptions.
Now, what about what KC has lost?
Next: The ones that got away