Chiefs move up to No. 2 in USA TODAY power rankings
A few short weeks ago and the outlook for the Kansas City Chiefs was grim. In the wake of the release of Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, it felt like the team was going backward. The recent moves made in free agency have people feeling a bit more optimistic. At the same time, they still have significant questions to be answered at tackle and the receiver positions.
In his first update since February, USA TODAY’s Nate Davis has the Chiefs ascending in his offseason power rankings, moving up to No. 2 overall. They oust the Green Bay Packers, who originally held the spot. Here’s what Davis had to say about the new ranking for Kansas City:
“2. Chiefs (3): They’ve made very nice pickups on both sides of the line scrimmage – notably OL Joe Thuney and Kyle Long and DT Jarran Reed – and should get G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif back from his opt-out year, though still not clear who QB Patrick Mahomes’ tackles will be in 2021.”
The Chiefs shored up the interior offensive line and added some juice to the pass rush. They also added a solid No. 2 tight end in Blake Bell and fullback in Michael Burton, suggesting they want to do a better job of running the ball in 2021. They’ve also lost a few pieces on both sides of the ball like Sammy Watkins, Tanoh Kpassagnon and Damien Wilson.
Right now, it feels like there are only two things holding the Chiefs back from a No. 1 ranking. First is the fact that they didn’t win Super Bowl LV and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to return every starter from that game. The second is the uncertainty surrounding the offensive tackle position, specifically on Patrick Mahomes’ blindside.
There are a number of ways the tackle situation could play out, with options in free agency, the draft and even potentially trade. They could even opt to bring Fisher and Schwartz back once they recover from their respective injuries. Ultimately, we might not know who the starters will be on either side until training camp is well underway. With that in mind, we also probably shouldn’t expect much movement in the power rankings until there is more clarity for those two positions.
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