KC Chiefs: The best kept roster secrets for 2022
It is difficult to imagine not knowing the names of superstars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, but what Chiefs players are the team’s best-kept secrets?
The Kansas City Chiefs have been to four consecutive AFC Championship games and won six consecutive AFC West titles, largely due to the presence of bonafide superstars in quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, and defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Beyond those big three, Kansas City has several well-known players on its roster, starting with the offensive line. The formidable frontline includes several players who rank among the best at their position including veteran guard Joe Thuney, second-year standouts in guard Trey Smith & center Creed Humphrey, and franchised-tagged left tackle Orlando Brown, Jr. This group is so strong that ESPN projects them to be the top-ranked unit in all of football this season.
The team has also added several other players over the last several years who’ve become well-known amongst the fanbase, and throughout NFL circles generally. The likes of defensive end Frank Clark, and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster all come to mind in this grouping of players.
But among all the many players who stand out, who are the biggest names that don’t? What are the best-kept secrets on the Chiefs’ roster heading into the 2022 season?
5. James Winchester, Harrison Butker, Tommy Townsend, Specialists
Independently, long snapper James Winchester, kicker Harrison Butker, and punter Tommy Townsend are among the best at their positions in the entire NFL. Collectively, though, they form the best trio of specialists league-wide, and we hardly ever talk about them.
For Butker not to have made a Pro Bowl or an All-Pro team after five seasons is marginally offensive. The 6th year kicker boasts a 90.123% field goal percentage, which is good enough for the second-best mark in NFL history. Unfortunately (for Butker’s postseason honor hopes), the owner of the top position in that historical statistic is a fellow AFC kicker, Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens.
Punter Tommy Townsend is another often overlooked piece of the Chiefs’ overall success. But, in 2021 the (then) second-year punter had a 47.2 yards/punt average, a mark that would rank him third all-time in the category if expanded over his career. Perhaps the reason the former Florida Gator continues to be overlooked is that he’s so underworked by a consistently productive Kansas City offense. Admittedly, his first preseason game was a bit inconsistent, including one that sailed for less than 30 yards. But, the sample size is small and we’re more likely apt to believe the whole body of work rather than one meaningless game.
James Winchester is so good at being a long snapper that he’s literally made an entire career out of doing that. Literally, out of doing just that. It truly is remarkable that in seven NFL seasons and untold numbers of punt/field goal/extra point snaps, Winchester has accounted for just one fumble, a loan stain on an otherwise incredible career back in 2019.
Kansas City is fortunate to have such a strong collection of talent focused on some of the most important positions in the game. While vastly underrated, the kicking game is vital to a team’s success over the long run and, in a game of inches, can often be the deciding factor in a contest either by flipping field position or scoring decisive field goals. Not having to worry about these areas of the game has become a luxury that we take for granted more often than not.