Which position groups are the strongest in Chiefs history?

#6: Special Teams – Chiefs special teamers feature all-time NFL greats, but little depth

This was a particularly difficult position group to rank for myriad reasons. Most notably, it is the position group which has seen the most change over time in terms of what metrics determine greatness. Arguably, the team has fielded two of the best kickers, two of the best punters and two of the best returners in the history of the NFL.

Despite that, it was difficult to merit placing this group any higher given the relatively short careers of the returners as ‘specialists’, and the (relatively) small impact of the group as a whole.

Of all of the specialists in team history, the team has fielded three kickers who met our one Pro Bowl or one 1st Team All-Pro criteria: Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud, the best kicker in team history in Nick Lowery, and Tommy Brooker. Three punters also made the cut: Jerrel Wilson, Dustin Colquitt and Bob Grupp. Finally, six other Chiefs have made the team(s) as special teamers including: Tyreek Hill, Dante Hall, Mecole Hardman, Dexter McCluster as returners, and DJ Alexander and Kendall Gammon as specialists.

All told, the unit has been represented 24 times on the Pro Bowl and three times as 1st Team All-Pro selections. While the team features only one Hall of Famer (Stenerud), there is little doubt that Nick Lowery should be in Canton, Wilson and Colquitt would be Hall of Famers in a just-world, and if return-specialists were enshrined, certainly Dante Hall would be amongst the top candidates. As such, despite the low number of AP nods, the all-time greatness of players at all three primary special teams positions buoys this position group slightly ahead of pass catchers and quarterbacks, for me.