[ad_1]
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs might have stood pat after their second consecutive AFC championship, trusting in the truth that Patrick Mahomes can be their quarterback, Andy Reid their coach, and they might stay contenders for the foreseeable future.
As a substitute, they tore most of their roster all the way down to the studs and painstakingly pieced it again collectively.
They need to have a completely completely different offensive line from the mismatched bunch of backups that was manhandled by the Buccaneers in a Tremendous Bowl fiasco. They need to have a vastly improved line of defense, which ought to in flip assist their dire efficiency within the purple zone. And so they have added velocity to an already fast roster throughout the board.
“We’ve got a variety of new faces,” Reid acknowledged on the conclusion of the offseason program. “I just like the angle of the blokes. They’ve are available able to work. … They’ve acquired an excellent mindset. As coaches, we recognize that.”
Reid additionally appreciates the aggressive strikes that basic supervisor Brett Veach made in free company and the draft.
The overhaul started and ended with the offensive line, the place the blokes tasked with defending the Chiefs’ half-billion greenback quarterback have extra strain on them than maybe any group of 5 gamers anyplace.
They traded for Professional Bowl left deal with Orlando Brown Jr., signed stalwart left guard Joe Thuney, added competitors at heart with Austin Blythe, then landed a pair of potential starters within the draft in Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey and Tennessee’s Trey Smith. In addition they will get again proper guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif from his opt-out 12 months treating COVID-19 sufferers in his native Canada, and third-round choose Lucas Niang, who opted out of his rookie season a 12 months in the past.
No marvel Mahomes appeared to be smiling all over the place he went this offseason.
“Clearly they’re tremendous proficient,” stated Mahomes, who had surgical procedure for turf toe after the Tremendous Bowl however was again on the sphere in time to take first-team reps throughout voluntary exercises and the Chiefs’ obligatory minicamp.
“We’ve got a variety of depth,” Mahomes continued, “and a variety of guys that may fill in right here and there. We’ve got guys who can play which is at all times good. I feel the most important factor is that when you didn’t know and also you simply walked into this locker room and noticed these guys, you’ll assume that they grew up collectively. The chemistry that they’ve constructed already, it’s super.”
That doesn’t imply there aren’t questions on either side of the ball as Mahomes joins choose veterans and rookies in reporting to the Chiefs’ coaching camp dwelling at Missouri Western State College on Friday.
On offense, the Chiefs misplaced broad receiver Sammy Watkins to free company and swung and missed at plenty of high-profile free brokers, leaving them with out a polished No. 2 wideout behind Tyreek Hill. Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson may have the primary shot, and Byron Pringle and Antonio Callaway additionally may have extra alternatives in camp.
“I feel a variety of guys had a very good OTAs and a very good minicamp,” Mahomes stated. “I’ve the final word belief in them that regardless of who’s within the sport, we’re going to make some performs occur.”
On the opposite aspect of the ball, the cross rush stays a large query mark after high defensive finish Frank Clark was arrested twice over the offseason. Clark faces an Oct. 4 arraignment and plea listening to in Los Angeles after prosecutors charged him with felony gun possession, and his availability for the upcoming season stays unsure.
The Chiefs hope defensive deal with Chris Jones can transfer exterior after the signing of free agent Jarran Reed, however he’s but to show he can present the identical cross rush from that place. In addition they added Florida State cross rusher Joshua Kaindoh, who has all the best measurements however whose school efficiency was inconsistent.
Within the defensive backfield, all eyes are on star security Tyrann Mathieu, whose contract is coming to an finish however who’s made it clear he needs to stay in Kansas Metropolis. Whether or not a deal will get accomplished earlier than season is anyone’s guess.
“I really feel like I can play soccer anyplace,” he stated, “however if you develop sure relationships with sure individuals, these individuals turn out to be part of your life. … So I can’t see me ever strolling away from that relationship. I’ve been by rather a lot in my life, so for me, I feel I’m holding onto sure relationships. I feel that sort of outweighs any financial issues.”
___
Extra AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
[ad_2]
Source link
