Kansas City Chiefs 2022 Offseason Needs

The 2021-2022 NFL champions are the Los Angeles Rams. Super Bowl LVI did not disappoint, as the game went down to the wire in the fourth quarter. Cooper Kupp finished off his historic season with a Super Bowl MVP and Sean McVay became the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl. All of this is exciting for the NFL, but as a Chiefs fan, I’m ready for next season already.

Although it was disappointing to watch another team win the Super Bowl, it’s time for the offseason and the controversy that surrounds it. For the first time in a few years, the Chiefs are going to have to let a few big names hit free agency and sign with other teams. It is very possible that some players like Tyrann Mathieu, Orlando Brown Jr, Charvarius Ward, and Melvin Ingram could find another team to sign with. With Patrick Mahomes’s $500,000,000 contract officially counting against the salary cap this year, it is going to be much harder to pay everyone else. However, Mahomes and General Manager Brett Veach can continue to restructure his contract to free up money for other players. 

Following the embarrassing second half meltdown against the Bengals, there are many questions on how to get this team back to the Super Bowl. Although Patrick Mahomes is amazing, he cannot be expected to play perfect every week, so he needs a defense he can depend on to keep them in games. This is where the Chiefs should focus this offseason, building a Super Bowl defense. 

Defensive line and defensive backs is where the Chiefs should aim to improve.

During the AFC championship, the Chiefs’ $180,000,000 defensive line failed to sack Joe Burrow more than one time. Embarrassingly, that lone sack didn’t come from the two highest paid players Chris Jones and Frank Clark. Frank Clark is the 6th highest paid edge rusher in the NFL, and his contract is holding the entire defense back. At all costs he needs to be removed from the team, whether that be a trade or release. If he is gone, it would free up money to pay another edge rusher in free agency. It is also commonly projected that the Chiefs will draft an edge rusher or defensive end at pick #30. 

The defensive backs issue really goes without saying. If you watched a game at any point of the last season, you probably saw safety Daniel Sorensen give up a big play. Tyrann Mathieu is also a free agent this year, so if he doesn’t get paid and leaves, safety should be a focus of free agency and the draft. 

On the offensive side of the ball, the areas that need improvement are much less drastic. 

Last offseason, Brett Veach went all-in on the offensive line and his bold approach led to the Chiefs having one of the best offensive lines in the league. However, right tackle was a particular area of injury struggle, so drafting depth or finding a veteran free agent would be a good move. Orlando Brown Jr is also a free agent this year and it is unlikely that Brett Veach can pay both Brown and Mathieu, so it is possible that he could franchise tag Brown. If Brown is franchise tagged, it will give Brown and the Chiefs one more year to negotiate a contract.

Wide receiver is another area that the Chiefs could address this year. Obviously Tyreek Hill is incredible, but he is double teamed regularly and the team needs a solid WR2 that they can depend on. Free agents that the Chiefs could acquire include Odell Beckham Jr, Allen Robinson II, Juju Smith-Schuster, and many others. If the Chiefs decide to draft a wide receiver in the first round of the draft, they could potentially land a player like Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams, Treylon Burks, or Chris Olave.

If the past few offseasons have shown Chiefs fans anything, it’s that Brett Veach always has a plan for his team. Free agency starts on March 16, and I can’t wait to see Veach’s first move.