Let’s take a look at the most pressing questions facing the Kansas City Chiefs as they begin roster construction for another Super Bowl run.
It’s important to understand from the outset: every NFL franchise has serious questions at this time of year. Every roster has holes. Every team faces uncertainties. Every offense is in need of attention and every defense could use this or that. That includes the defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
To say the Chiefs have some big questions to answer is nothing to panic over. General manager Brett Veach has several months to attend to the roster, and he’s seen most of these problems coming from a mile (or, a year) away. Some issues will find their answers internally. Others will be solved via free agency or the draft.
The good news is that the Chiefs will find answers.
So what are the biggest questions for the Chiefs at this point? It’s interesting to note that most of them come from the trenches. Most contenders are built from the inside out, yet it’s along the lines that the Cheifs find their biggest concerns for next season.
Let’s take a look at the four biggest questions facing the Chiefs this offseason.
What is the Chiefs’ strategy at offensive tackle?
At this point, you could frame the questions in any number of ways. Will the Chiefs remain interested in Orlando Brown Jr.? Will Brown get a massive deal when allowed to hit free agency? Will Andrew Wylie price himself out of Kansas City? Do the Chiefs have a blockbuster move ready to make at left tackle? Would the Chiefs ever alter their approach and spend at right tackle? Will rookies occupy either slot for the majority of 2023?
Here’s what we do know: the Chiefs cannot and will not slouch when it comes to protecting Patrick Mahomes, the single most prized possession in the entire National Football League.
All we know right now is that, unless something changes, both of the Chiefs’ starting tackles from their Super Bowl-winning season in ’22 are scheduled to hit free agency in about 48 hours. At the present time, they can already negotiate with a new team and agree upon a new (technically unsigned) deal. Say what you will about Brown or Wylie, but that’s a lot of experience, versatility, and chemistry lost if they both leave.
That’s not to say the Chiefs are in a bind. They aren’t. They have known this very set-up is coming for the last year or more (and they’ve known that Brown wanted a massive extension even before trading for him), and you don’t achieve such sustained success by being surprised by very predictable scenarios. The answer(s) however remains to be seen.