Titans playoffs loss was the last straw for Chiefs general manager Brett Veach
The Kansas City Chiefs offense while explosive at times and showing substantial numbers throughout the season, was also inconsistent. Rookie running back Kareem Hunt was a star when given the ball leading the league in rushing yards with 1,327 yards to compliment his 8 touchdowns on the ground. Tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Tyreek Hill both exceeded the 1,000-yard mark last year as well through the air.
Looking at the numbers, it’s hard to imagine the offense needing some upgrades. With quarterback Patrick Mahomes stepping in, general manager Brett Veach wants to not only put as many weapons around him as possible to give him every chance to succeed, but he wants to instill aggressiveness on both sides of the ball.
Following wide receiver Chris Conley going down with an injury late in the week five game against the Washington Redskins, the Chiefs struggled to find a receiver opposite Hill that could draw attention to that side. Wide receiver Albert Wilson had a breakout season to some extent as former quarterback Alex Smith’s safety blanket coming out of the slot. Finding another aggressive and deep threat was a priority for Veach this offseason.
Veach brought in some aggression with wide receiver Sammy Watkins who spent last year with the Los Angeles Rams. Kansas City gave Watkins the most significant signing bonus in league history. The Rams and his former team, the Buffalo Bills, failed to utilize and exploit his strengths as a deep ball tracker and great hands at contested balls. With Mahomes stepping in, that should be no problem as the young quarterback is willing to give his receivers every opportunity to make plays.
Given the weapons the Chiefs have on offense, it should make it difficult for teams to play to the run or pass heavily. Hunt proved in his rookie season to be explosive out of the backfield and with running back Spencer Ware coming back from injury, hopefully, healthy and ready to play, it could be a dynamic duo that we missed from last season. With all of the deep threats between Hill, Watkins, and Kelce, it also limits defenses on being able to stack the box to attack the run game.
When Travis Kelce left the Titans game with a concussion during the Wild-Card matchup, the offense fell off after that. Smith failed to make specific throws and Tennessee was able to double down on Tyreek Hill. Given that the offense has severely struggled in the last two years playoff games, Veach has had enough. He wants there to be more weapons than Mahomes knows what to do with and for this team to be aggressive instead of playing conservative football.