Why 2017 is an important draft for the Kansas City Chiefs

The future is now for the Kansas City Chiefs. Former All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles was recently released as a cap casualty. Three more players, who’ll eventually be immortalized in the team’s Ring of Honor, could either be entering retirement or into agreements to play for other franchises. The time has come for succession planning.

When general manager John Dorsey arrived in Kansas City, he inherited a solid core of veteran players. Four years later, what once was a male chorus is now little more than a duet. Dorsey may soon be hosting auditions for those roles. Alex Smith, Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali are all in or near the twilight of their careers. You can never be sure when a player will leave town, voluntarily or involuntarily, but I suspect their respective jobs will open up sooner rather than later.

Teams that are competitive year in, year out tend to have one thing in common – success at backfilling talent at key positions. Having a competent successor in the wings, at positions of consequence, creates the opportunity for consistency. If the Chiefs can draft a running back with a skill set even remotely comparable to the one they’re losing to Charles’ departure, they have a shot at continued success in the backfield. Suppose Dorsey struggles to find serviceable players to take the reigns from Charles, Johnson and Hali. Holes will start to show up on a roster which previously had none.