The Kansas City Chiefs were ranked third on a list of the NFL’s most complete teams.
Before you cry foul, NFL reporter Adam Schein would have you know he still believes the Kansas City Chiefs are the best bet to win the Super Bowl this coming season. It’s just that in his latest set of offseason rankings, which pits the “complete” nature of each NFL roster against the others, the Chiefs come up behind a couple other franchises.
As Schein ranked the NFL’s most complete teams for the coming season, he sees two teams in particular with more more all-around talent (or perhaps less areas of concern) than the Chiefs. It’s not hard to guess who they are.
The Baltimore Ravens come in first in this list. The Ravens have been a chic pick all throughout the offseason after a surprising run last year that netted them a No. 1 overall seed in the AFC and an MVP trophy for quarterback Lamar Jackson. It doesn’t hurt that the Ravens draft well year after year and their defense looks loaded front-to-back after an offseason that added Calais Campbell and Patrick Queen to the front seven.
After the Ravens come the defending NFC Champions, the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners had the Chiefs on the ropes in Super Bowl LIV and the presence of so much talent playing for an exciting young coach like Kyle Shanahan is bound to earn them a top spot on this list.
At No. 3 is the Chiefs on Schein’s list and he explains his pick from the outset:
"Two teams sit above K.C. in this ranking because their rosters are more well-rounded. But with Mahomes’ singular greatness, the Chiefs enter the 2020 season as the definite team to beat."
Schein lacks the space to go into any real roster concerns in a list like this, but even the Chiefs most fervent fans can admit there are potential problem areas. The interior of the offensive is due for some upgrades. The linebacking corps is placing a lot of hope in Willie Gay Jr. Cornerback could be woefully thin without Kendall Fuller if young players can’t round into shape quickly. And if something goes awry with Chris Jones, the Chiefs could miss him up front, to be sure.
That said, every NFL roster has areas of major and minor concern. It’s the nature of the modern NFL and the salary cap that keeps teams from being able to stockpile talent (a la the L.A. Dodgers in baseball). The Niners and Ravens have issues to address as well, even as they’re ranked higher than the defending champs.
Still, just as Schein himself admits, the Chiefs should feel quite good—not only about the overall state of their roster but the fact that they also employ the league’s single most dangerous player. He’s already delivered one Lombardi and they’ve got reasons to believe plenty more are on the way.