Kansas City Chiefs expected to rebuild in 2019 by non-researching analyst
By Matt Conner
One NFL writer attempted to look at power rankings for the 2019 NFL season and came away with the Chiefs at No. 26 overall.
Nothing matters much this time of year. Much is made of OTA attendance when it’s all voluntary. Grades are given for draft picks who’ve never played a single meaningful snap. NFL analysts are also making useless lists to fill column space. Perhaps there’s no better example of this than Brad Gagnon’s look at 2019 to try to discern future NFL Power Rankings.
In doing so, Gagnon believes the Chiefs will be among the absolute worst teams in the league two years from now, having turned to now-rookie Patrick Mahomes as their starting quarterback. He lists the Chiefs at No. 26, the worst of the entire AFC West, and writes:
"Patrick Mahomes’ first full season as a starter was rocky, the defense is old and Tyreek Hill is their only weapon on offense. The Chiefs are basically rebuilding."
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The Chiefs will undoubtedly endure some growing pains as they pass the torch, at some point, from Alex Smith to Mahomes. However, to say “the defense is old” as a quick passing judgement on a unit that’s still among the NFL’s best feels silly. The Chiefs have the best young cornerback in the business. They also have one of the best young defensive linemen in the business in Chris Jones. In two more seasons, they’ll likely have a developed Tanoh Kpassagnon to go with Justin Houston, Eric Berry, Dee Ford (assuming they extend him) and more.
Even on offense, the Chiefs will have an experienced Kareem Hunt in the backfield, a veteran offensive line who have played together for years while all still being in their twenties, Travis Kelce, Chris Conley and Jeremy Maclin.
But who knows, maybe all of these young players will somehow all get worse and/or retire early. Maybe Andy Reid will forget how to coach and John Dorsey will call Matt Millen for input into each draft pick. Maybe all of this will happen at once and force the Chiefs to rebuild. If so, we can all say that Brad Gagnon saw it coming.