KC Chiefs ranked as second most talented roster in NFL

On the surface, the ranking order makes sense.

In a recent CBS Sports column numbering the most talented rosters in the National Football League, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sit at No. 1 followed by the K.C. Chiefs at No. 2 heading into the 2021 regular season. After a quick glance, it’s an understandable one-two punch atop the rankings given that the Bucs just defeated the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Some things you don’t have to overthink.

Not only did the Bucs just win the Super Bowl, but they also managed to bring back every single one of their starters on both sides of the ball—yes, all 22 of them—and a host of supporting players as well. It’s amazing to think there’s not a single player in a starting position who will not come with championship experience, but Tampa Bay is definitely loaded for another run.

The Chiefs ranked behind the Bucs in terms of overall roster talent, per CBS.

However, what’s lost in the Bucs’ postseason success and determination to bring everyone back for another run is that the Bucs were never a perfect team in the first place. They struggled to find their mojo during the regular season, and heading into their late bye week, were sitting at 7-5 in the NFC South. Of course, from that point forward, they turned on the jets and finished out the season with an eight-game win streak (that’s still intact). Suffice it to say, the 2020 Buccaneers will never be remembered as some immortal team that was an impossible giant to knock off.

Going back a year, it was the Chiefs who won 14 of 15 regular season games before coasting into the postseason by resting their starters against the Chargers in Week 17. Those same Chiefs were also decimated by injuries, especially across the offensive line, by season’s end. Images of Patrick Mahomes doing everything he possibly could to will the Chiefs forward tell the story of the Super Bowl as much as any heroics on the part of the Bucs.

That’s not to say the Bucs aren’t a great team or even that they shouldn’t be the favorites. But thinking in terms of total roster talent, the Chiefs are loaded and even significant revamped the trenches where the game is supposedly, according to the maxim, won or lost. From left to right, the additions of Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, and Creed Humphrey alone should help the Chiefs make a considerable leap in any roster evaluation.

From there, the Chiefs also added Jarran Reed on the defensive side who will give the Chiefs significant flexibility up front with Chris Jones as a versatile pass rusher.

There are potential problem areas, to be sure, for the Chiefs and that includes question marks at cornerback, defensive end, and wide receiver. But that’s true for any team, including the Bucs, and the Chiefs still have the best top-tier talent in the game as well.

The Buccaneers certainly got the best of the Chiefs in the Super Bowl last year and deserve as much credit, but it’s also not so straightforward when evaluating the rosters of each. Not that any of these rankings even matter in the end, but while we’re here, we might as well try to set the record straight.