10 bold predictions for the Chiefs 2023 season

2. Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith provide Mahomes with the best O-line of his career

Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith might not be what Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher once were, but the interior of the 2023 offensive line blows the 2018-2020 interior out of the water.

The run blocking of Taylor and Smith will leave a lot to be desired but with the firepower of Mahomes, opposing defenses are notorious for giving the Chiefs light boxes to go up against. That should minimize the impact of losing Orlando Brown and Andrew Wylie in the run game.

Where the new duo excels is in the passing game. They both combined to allow 47 pressures last year, according to PFF. Mahomes proved to be a magician last year only being sacked 26 times, even though Brown and Wylie allowed 96 pressures, which ranked bottom of the league.

One of the reasons I think so many receivers will have career years is because Mahomes is going to have all day to throw. This starting five will give defensive coordinators nightmares when you factor in Mahomes's ability to extend plays as well.

1A. Chiefs sign Chris Jones to a contract extension

 It is a fool's errand to predict this situation anymore. However, I think the Chiefs view Chris Jones differently than they did Tyreek Hill. If that were not the case, they would have traded him already.

Vice versa, I think Chris Jones wants to be in Kansas City. If that were not the case, he and his agents would have used the trump card that every player and their camp use when they want to get paid, no matter what team the money comes from – they would have demanded a trade.

All of this leads me to believe that Jones will sit out until the very last moment possible to strike the deal that he wants. That will either be before the opening night or before week two against Jacksonville, just to prove another point.

At that point, I think both sides meet in the middle and the Chiefs will also receive the needed cap space they need to operate throughout the 2023 season, as they are expected to be nearly 10 million over the cap once Jones reports.

1B. Chiefs are OK in a potential Chris Jones absence

OK, every smart bettor will hedge their bet in some way and this situation has been anything but predictable. If in fact hell is freezing over, and Jones does not report to camp until week eight, the Chiefs will get by without Jones. 

Mahomes and Reid are the ultimate equalizer and Spagnolo loves to draw up a good blitz. There will not be much getting home with four, unfortunately, but the Chiefs will play with two big nose tackles that eat up double-teams as much as they can for their edge rushers to generate pressure. 

They will likely leave Karlaftis and Anudike-Uzomah on the outside and kick Mike Danna inside on obvious passing downs. The hope would be to open up enough cap space to bring Carlos Dunlap back as well because the depth left leaves much to be desired if anyone were to go down with an injury.

Without an offseason of planning for life without Jones, this is not ideal, but the Chiefs will win games early in the season regardless. With or without Jones, the Chiefs tend to stall early in the season while Spagnolo figures things out anyway.

There you have it Chiefs fans. What did I miss and what do you agree or disagree with? One thing we can all agree on is it is exciting to have Chiefs football back.