Kansas City Chiefs: 5 bold offseason predictions from Rocky’s World

The season is formally over!

With the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2021 season firmly in our rearview mirror, we will look to the horizon. A brand new day is breaking, flooding the world with hope.

Proper now, something is feasible. The Chiefs may signal Davante Adams. They may commerce as much as the primary total decide within the draft and choose Kayvon Thibodeaux. Heck, quarterback Patrick Mahomes may throw for 6000 yards and 60 touchdowns this season.

Will any of these items occur? In all probability not. However that’s not the purpose. The purpose is that they may occur.

Risk is an attractive factor. It places a pep in your step and will get you jazzed as much as roll off the bed and face the day.

All the pieces you’re about to learn is pure hypothesis — similar to any of the billion different Web articles with a headline like 5 Daring Offseason Predictions.

Hypothesis isn’t a nasty factor — so long as you set your title on it and preserve the receipts. I’m almost definitely going to be incorrect about these — so be happy to remind me.

It’s my perception that in the event you’re going to jot down an article like this one, you’d higher swing for the fences. No person needs to learn one thing entitled 5 Daring Offseason Predictions simply to seek out lame and predictable forecasts. You already know Travis Kelce might be as soon as once more going to have over 1,000 yards receiving, proper? You didn’t come right here to look at me hit a layup. So I’m going to chuck up a couple of full-court photographs and take a look at my finest to not airball all of them.

1. Patrick Mahomes will excellent the behind-the-back throw

When Mahomes accomplished his first no-look move in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens again in 2019, our jaws collectively hit the ground. It was in contrast to something we had ever seen a quarterback do.

You’re not supposed to have the ability to play soccer such as you’re Chris Paul — particularly within the NFL. On the time, I will need to have watched the replay 100 instances — however quick ahead three years, and the no-look move has nearly change into commonplace.

How widespread?

A lot in order that Matthew “Bland Toast” Stafford threw one within the Super Bowl. If he can do it, then it’s time to step up your sport and push the envelope a little bit extra.

That’s why I’m predicting that in 2022, Mahomes will throw a behind-the-back move in a soccer sport — similar to Sonny Jurgensen did over 60 years in the past.

As soon as Mahomes perfects the behind-the-back move, who is aware of the place he’ll go from there?

Maybe… the boomerang move?

I do know it sounds inconceivable — but when anybody can do it, it’s Mahomes. Within the meantime, Patrick, here’s a tutorial to get you began.

2. Chris Jones would be the solely returning starter on the line of defense

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked a mixed 16 instances in opposition to the Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Rams. Towards the Chiefs, he was sacked as soon as. If the Rams taught us something, it’s that even in a microcosm of a single play, protection nonetheless wins championships. Particularly, defensive strains win championships.

Photograph by Ronald Martinez/Getty Photographs

In his end-of-the-year presser, Chiefs common supervisor Brett Veach made some extent to spotlight that his philosophy for constructing a roster begins within the trenches — on each sides of the ball. He even said that the defensive line is the offseason’s No. 1 priority.

Making the line of defense your prime precedence may imply plenty of issues. For the Chiefs, I feel it’s going to be a mix of dropping guys to free company, transferring on from unhealthy contracts and bringing in new gamers by the draft.

Photograph by David Eulitt/Getty Photographs

I feel the Chiefs would like to deliver Melvin Ingram again on a team-friendly contract much like the one he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers originally of final season. The one drawback is that final season, he was coming off an harm. Ingram was wholesome for all of 2021 — and proved that he nonetheless has one thing left within the tank. In the event that they wish to retain him, the Chiefs must outbid the opposite groups who’re searching for his companies — and on the open market, his value may fairly rapidly rise above what Kansas Metropolis is prepared to pay.

In the meantime, Frank Clark is because of make $26 million in 2022 — however the Chiefs can save $14 million in the event that they reduce him. Even when he had been prepared to make a team-friendly deal — restructuring his contract to take much less cash — I’m nonetheless unsure I need him on this group. Since arriving in Kansas Metropolis, Clark has struggled to remain wholesome — and in every season he’s performed for the Chiefs, his numbers have steadily declined.

With Jarran Reid, Derrick Nnadi and Alex Okafor all turning into free brokers, the Chiefs’ entrance 4 goes to look rather a lot completely different within the coming season.

3. Veach will commerce up within the first spherical to get his man

As soon as Veach has his eyes set on one thing, he will get it — come hell or excessive water. We noticed this a yr in the past when he remade the offensive line. I feel we’re going to see the identical factor this offseason — however on the defensive facet of the ball.

The issue is that the Chiefs are choosing thirtieth within the NFL Draft — and the man Veach needs is perhaps lengthy gone by the point Kansas Metropolis is on the clock. I can see a situation the place Veach falls head over heels for a participant like Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson — and does no matter it takes to maneuver up and get his man.

I think about that on draft day, Veach wakes up, will get dressed and appears at himself within the mirror.

4. The Chiefs will miss out on the entire prime free-agent broad receivers

I feel the Chiefs are going to attempt very laborious to herald a free agent wideout like JuJu Smith-Schuster or Allen Robinson. Each of those guys are coming off disappointing seasons, so that they’ll be trying to land in a spot the place they’ll rehab their pictures.

Final season, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid publicly courted Smith-Schuster. Who is aware of which free-agent broad receiver he has his sights on now? However the Chiefs may have the identical challenge with signing prime wideouts that that they had final season: any receiver who involves Kansas Metropolis will accomplish that figuring out they would be the third goal within the offense. The highest free-agent receivers will probably wish to go to a group the place they are often the quarterback’s No. 1 goal.

However the Chiefs can provide one thing that different groups can’t: the chance to chase a hoop.

5. Daniel Sorensen and Ben Niemann’ time with the Chiefs will finish

Everyone knows that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo loves each of those guys like they had been his personal children. However Father Time is undefeated — and because the 2021 season progressed, neither participant appeared to have a lot left within the tank. With the chance that security Tyrann Mathieu may additionally transfer on, there might be a temptation to deliver these guys again in order that there might be some veteran management on the sector.

That being stated, Veach is an astute expertise evaluator. I don’t see any approach that he talks himself into bringing again both of them.

The Chiefs are additionally anticipated to contemplate slicing Anthony Hitchens. If this occurs, Kansas Metropolis might be available in the market for a linebacker (and a number of safeties) both by free company or the draft.

On the finish of the day, we are going to all the time have the reminiscences we made.