Chiefs vs. Texans: New faces who will have greatest impact

Can Kelechi Osemele fit seamlessly in with the offensive line?

One of the biggest stories for the Chiefs this offseason was Laurent Duvernay-Tardif opting out of the 2020 NFL season. Duvernay-Tardif is a licensed medical provider and opted out in part because of protocols and in part to help providers in Canada tackle the pandemic.

Duvernay-Tardif was a mainstay on the Chiefs offensive line the last five seasons, starting in 60 games, and his presence will undoubtedly be missed. Fortunately, the Chiefs were able to land former Raiders and Jets offensive guard Kelechi Osemele.

Osemele is a former second-round pick, two-time Pro Bowler, and one-time All Pro and has elite physical attributes for the position. If it weren’t for the pandemic, and the lack of an offseason, I’d argue Osemele has a good chance at being an upgrade to Duvernay-Tardif.

I’d be shocked if he isn’t the long-term starter, and whether or not he can fit seamlessly in with the other Andy Reid, offensive line veterans will go a long way to determining how smooth this offense looks to start the season.

Can Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks replace DeAndre Hopkins?

One of the most shocking moves of this offseason, really of any offseason in the last 10 years or so, was the Houston Texans jettisoning arguably their best player in DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans sent the four-time All Pro to the Arizona Cardinals for a couple mid-round picks and an aging running back. Needless to say, this was a shock and at the time a major blow to a young quarterback’s receiving corps.

In his place the Texans acquired two players in Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks. Cobb is an aging but savvy veteran who had a somewhat resurgent campaign in 2019. In six starts he caught 55 passes for 828 yards and three touchdowns.

Cooks, the 20th overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, had the opposite stretch. After four straight seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving and 29 total touchdowns, in 2019 he produced career lows in catches and touchdowns and barely eclipsed his rookie year in receiving yards.

Deshaun Watson lost his security blanket, a player who amounted to over 30 percent of his targets the last two seasons. Hopkins was a problem for the Chiefs secondary the last several seasons, and whether or not this duo can duplicate his production will have a major impact on the Texans hopes against a confident Chiefs defense.