KC Chiefs offensive weapons top ESPN’s offseason rankings

ESPN ranked each NFL team’s offensive weapons and the KC Chiefs came out on top.

Every offseason, ESPN NFL analyst Bill Barnwell ranks every team’s cadre of offensive weapons. There are a number of rules to understand to his process, but the formula is pretty straightforward. Basically, Barnwell compares the top five playmakers around each quarterback and compares them all and then draws his own rankings. While this seems like an easy exercise, Barnwell’s encyclopedic knowledge of the NFL and analysis makes this a worthy read.

This year, the Kansas City Chiefs ended up at the No. 1 spot in the league after coming in No. 2 last season. (They were also No. 1 two years ago.) Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is, of course, the top player at his position—and now the most expensive player in the league—but he’s also surrounded by an elite array of playmakers, each of whom deserve mention.

Last season’s top ranked team, the L.A. Rams, fell out of the top 10 completely after watching their offense return to earth last season and losing Todd Gurley in free agency. Instead, the Cleveland Browns have leaped up to claim the second spot overall. Other teams receiving a healthy boost include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (after signing Tom Brady), the Buffalo Bills (after trading for Stefon Diggs), and Arizona Cardinals (after the DeAndre Hopkins deal).

Barnwell praises the obvious targets—no pun intended—in wideouts Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, and Mecole Hardman. He also pays lip service to tight end Travis Kelce. He even honors Damien Williams under-appreciated body of work as the Chiefs running back, but he also admits that the addition of first round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire put the Chiefs back over the top above the Browns. Barnwell notes, “The major drop-off when the Chiefs cut Kareem Hunt and replaced him with Williams came in the receiving game.”

With talent now overflowing out of the backfield, the Chiefs offense is going to be nearly impossible to stop, making the set of offensive weapons the NFL’s best once again.