The 6 most glaring needs on KC Chiefs roster after early free agency
Now that the first wave of free agency is in the past, the next major event of the NFL offseason is the draft in late April. Although the Kansas City Chiefs are the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, they still have holes on their roster, which they need to fill.
Since Brett Veach is very good at his job, none of these holes are dire and Kansas City is still in a great position to three-peat. While on the subject, what are the biggest remaining needs for the Chiefs? Which position groups could use some reinforcement and are there any areas that could use an upgrade?
After trading L'Jarius Sneed, the Chiefs now have over $25M in cap space to work with as well as seven picks in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. Kansas City has the flexibility to utilize either free agency or the draft to fill out their roster.
Let's review the six most glaring roster needs for the Kansas City Chiefs:
Another Wide Receiver
Yes, they recently signed Marquise Brown, but the Chiefs still need more receiving talent for Patrick Mahomes. After Brown and Rashee Rice, Justin Watson is the projected WR3 on the depth chart. That can't remain the case when training camp rolls around.
Fortunately, wide receiver isn't a crucial need anymore, so Brett Veach isn't under any serious pressure to draft one in the first round. If the board falls in the Chiefs' favor, they can add another receiver on the first night of the draft, but they don't need to reach for one at #32.
Most draft experts consider this year's draft the best one for wide receivers in a long time. The depth is amazing and there are players of all styles available.
In free agency, there are still a handful of receivers available that can contribute in a meaningful way. Will the team wait until the draft to address the wide receiver position again or will they add another body before, just to be safe?
A Defensive Tackle behind Chris Jones
Even though Chris Jones is back, the defensive tackle position is still underwhelming overall.
Mike Pennel, Derrick Nnadi, and Neil Farrell Jr. are run stuffers who don't provide much juice rushing the passer. Tershawn Wharton is a nice depth piece but he isn't a starting-caliber player.
The Chiefs are a Chris Jones injury away from having one of the worst interior defensive lines in the NFL. They would be wise to add some additional talent behind #95.
Since drafting Jones, the Chiefs haven't invested much in the position. They haven't used a pick in the top two rounds and have spent much money on defensive tackles in free agency, other than on Jones himself.
Steve Spagnuolo does like to put his defensive ends inside on a regular basis, so it's not serious concern, but another quality player at the position would serve them well.