Training camp is finally underway in St. Joseph, Missouri, and a slew of Chiefs news will be filling news feeds in the coming weeks. The biggest stories right now are obviously the tragic news about Eric Bieniemy's family and the health of quarterback Patrick Mahomes as he comes back from major knee surgery. There is also always a ton of hype and attention around KC's draft picks as the media and fans get their first look at the newest Chiefs.
While those stories are worthwhile and interesting, there are plenty of less-discussed questions that need to be answered in training camp that aren't getting as much attention but will still have a major impact on the Chiefs' season.
1. How much more will the Chiefs be under center on offense?
This question may not be as important as how Patrick Mahomes looks, but it may be the next most important question about the offense, and it doesn't get anywhere near as much attention. Yes, Chiefs fans are wondering if the addition of Kenneth Walker will lead to more of an emphasis on the run game, but that can't just mean more carries like the ones KC has had over the past couple of seasons with a better back getting handed the ball.
The Chiefs' poor excuse for a run game included entirely too many runs out of the shotgun. There was no physical presence established (or utilization of a great interior offensive line) and no meaningful use of play action to keep defenses honest. Yes, the Chiefs still want to let Patrick Mahomes throw the ball plenty, but they will make his life infinitely easier if they get under center more and make defenses game-plan for more than one phase of the offense.
How Patrick Mahomes looks is important. How good Kenneth Walker looks and how many touches he gets are important too. However, the way they go about putting together the offense for these two stars is equally important, and Chiefs fans should pay a lot of attention to how much more the Chiefs are lining up under center in training camp.
2. Do the Chiefs want to run a lot of multiple tight end sets? Do they have the personnel to pull them off?
This second question definitely ties into the first question, but it's also its own separate question. Andy Reid has used high percentages of multiple tight end sets in the past, and if he does plan to lean on the run game more this season, it would make sense to utilize multiple tight ends to help make that happen.
It could also be that instead of running out of the shotgun with multiple tight ends, they instead go under center with three wide receivers in hopes that the defense has to plan to defend the pass and KC can let their physical interior line push around a nickel defense. The personnel is equally as important as the formations the Chiefs are using to try to revitalize an offense that has fallen off over the last couple of years.
There is also a valid question as to whether the Chiefs really have the tight end room needed to thrive using a lot of multiple tight end sets. Travis Kelce is likely in his final year and shouldn't be asked to play 90% of the snaps so that he can stay as fresh and efficient as possible. However, Noah Gray had a down year last year, Jared Wiley hasn't shown anything in the NFL yet, and their other options like Jake Briningstool, Tre Watson, and John Michael Gyllenborg are all undrafted players.
3. Are the Chiefs planning to replace Leo Chenal with just one player?
While Leo Chenal wasn't on the field as much as Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill, he does leave a very unique role to try and replace. On one hand, the third-most-used linebacker isn't even a full-time player. Chenal was often used in a hybrid role. He would play one down as a traditional run-stopping linebacker and then on another down the Chiefs would put him up on the defensive line because of his physical strength.
The Chiefs don't have a player on their roster now that you can just replace that role with one-for-one. Cooper McDonald is probably the top option to play the run-stopping linebacker role, but it would be a lot to ask him to also occasionally line up on the defensive line. So will the Chiefs just sub out their third linebacker more now that Chenal is gone and put in a true extra defensive lineman in those same situations?
The Chiefs also used a fifth-round draft pick last year on Jeffrey Bassa, but he is more of an athletic sideline-to-sideline linebacker. Could Steve Spagnuolo completely redesign his third-linebacker usage to maximize Bassa's skills? That likely means a massive change from how Chenal was used. Could an athletic defensive end like rookie R. Mason Thomas fill some of those hybrid LB/DL snaps? When it comes to replacing Chenal's unique role from the last few seasons, the question isn't just "who" replaces him, but "how" they replace him.
4. Could all of KC's cornerback additions lead to less 3 safety packages?
There has naturally been a lot of talk about how the Chiefs will replace their top two corners from last season (Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson), but the Chiefs have made so many additions at the position that it could mean less playing time for some of KC's safeties.
The Chiefs currently have Mansoor Delane, Nohl Williams, L'Jarius Sneed, Kristian Fulton, Jadon Canady, and Kader Kohou, all of whom could make serious cases for regular playing time. That's six corners, and it doesn't even include Chris Roland-Wallace, Kaiir Elam, and Kevin Knowles, who some fans still believe have the upside to warrant playing time. Meanwhile, the Chiefs really only have Alohi Gilman, Jaden Hicks, and Chamarri Conner to play true safety roles.
Traditionally, the Chiefs have frequently used a third safety on a regular basis, often opting to go with three safeties and three corners in dime-package situations. However, there is a strong argument to be made that despite the loss of McDuffie and Watson, KC's fourth-best cornerback could be a much better option than Chamarri Conner. Spagnuolo stuck with Conner (often in the slot) last season when most fans were ready to try someone else. Could that be the case again this season with Conner regularly seeing the field as a hybrid safety/nickel, or will the influx of corners to the roster keep him on the bench?
These four questions may not be as flashy or popular as some of the more regularly discussed topics, but as training camp kicks into high gear, fans should keep their eyes and ears open for how these situations are playing out.
You can check out other key players to watch in training camp at the links below.
- Quarterback: Garrett Nussmeier
- Running Back: Emmett Johnson
- Wide Receiver: Xavier Worthy
- Offensive Line: The Tackles
- Defensive Line: R Mason Thomas
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