When and Where: Week 2 in Kansas City
Last season: Lost to the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Perhaps you heard.
Added: Kristian Fulton, Gardner Minshew, Jerry Tillery, Jaylon Moore
Lost: Joe Thuney, Justin Reid, Tershawn Wharton, Justin Watson
Players added or lost in order of snaps played last season.
Top draft picks: Josh Simmons
Biggest question facing this team: Can the offensive line not be a liability in the playoffs?
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have lost two Super Bowls. In both, Mahomes was under pressure all game. After their loss to the Bucs, the Chiefs replaced every starter on their offensive line. After their loss to the Eagles, they dusted off the same playbook and again made significant changes to their OL. The Chiefs acquired two OTs this offseason, but both are big question marks.
First, they signed Jaylon Moore, who in four seasons with the 49ers started 12 games as a swing tackle. The 49ers tackle situation is also less than spectacular, though on the right side, in Kansas City he’ll compete for the left tackle starting job. Moore was one of the first free agent signings announced, and only signed to a two year deal, from a team with their own OL problems. What exactly was the rush to sign him?
In the draft, the Chiefs took Josh Simmons with the 32nd pick. Simmons tore his patellar tendon in October, ending his season. If not for the injury, he probably would have been the top OT prospect in the draft. But he did get hurt, and his injury does not have a good recovery rate, with a study released in February showing a 55% return to play rate. Simmons is by all accounts on or ahead of schedule to return from it, but being able to return to practice is only part of the recovery.
The Chiefs ended the season in desperate need of a left tackle. Their solution was to sign a career backup from a flawed OL, and draft someone with a serious injury. Perhaps it will work out, probably not by Week 2 though. Or perhaps they will be back to square one in a year, or worse if Travis Kelce retires.
