Comparing one NFL team to another is not exactly an exercise in equality. Taking the roster of, say, the Houston Texans and holding it up to the Kansas City Chiefs is more apples and oranges instead of alike products given the talent differential, but that hasn’t stopped Pro Football Focus from conducting their offseason exercises anyway and ranking the rosters of each NFL team in order of overall talent.
What is interesting for our purposes is not that the Chiefs are credited with a loaded roster, coming in at No. 4 overall, but rather that wide receiver is perceived to be the team’s biggest weakness.
Per PFF, the Chiefs were already “thin” at the position before losing JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency. There’s no mention of also losing Mecole Hardman, so maybe we can add that ourselves as a freebie to bolster their own case for them. But does that make it right?
Remember the Chiefs were supposed to be too thin in the wide receiver ranks last year and they won a Super Bowl with an offense that didn’t slow down even after trading away Tyreek Hill. It’s hard for some outside of Kansas City to imagine a wide receiver corps as perfectly fine if it lacks a clear-cut top target, but the Chiefs proved last year that the committee approach can work at other positions besides running back.
But what more would the Chiefs really want to add to the mix at this point. They’ve already expressed a belief that Kadarius Toney could be a No. 1 overall receiver and his draft spot at No. 20 overall just two years ago cements that. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is a dependable downfield veteran who should put up 600 yards without any problem as a floor.
Beyond that, the Chiefs have Skyy Moore coming into his second season and primed to break out. He should be a solid volume target in the intermediate levels with tight end Travis Kelce. (More on him in a second.) Together with second-round rookie Rashee Rice, there’s a lot of burgeoning talent that actually requires room to grow here on the roster.
Just in case something happens within that core quartet (further injuries to Toney or inexperience stifles the younger guys), the Chiefs also brought on board Richie James who enjoyed a solid season for the New York Giants as a receiver/returner. Justin Watson is also back on a two-year deal to help on special teams and round out the offense. That’s two more veterans who can step up when asked but who will also concede to the higher ceilings around them.
For those who love an underdog, the Chiefs have those players in house as well in Justyn Ross as a injury stash from last year and John Ross (no relation) as a former speedster hoping to make something of the opportunity in front of him after general manager Brett Veach took a flyer on him. Oh yeah, there’s also Cornell Powell, Jerrion Ealy, Ihmir Smith-Marsette and others with potential on the roster.
Back to Kelce for a minute. The Chiefs don’t need any of their wide receivers to carry this offense. Kelce is heading to the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio at some point in the near future because he’s already tasked with that load for the Chiefs, which makes this entire unit complementary while Kelce remains in his prime.
While the Chiefs lack the charisma and dynamic play of Hill and have yet to re-establish that role following his trade, the truth is that K.C. has assembled a solid young core that doesn’t necessarily stand out but it also doesn’t sink down. The Chiefs aren’t without their weaknesses, but wide receiver really isn’t one of them.
