Kansas City Chiefs Roster 2018 Chiefs Roster

The Alex Smith era quickly came to a close, and Patrick Mahomes is the big name on campus. He is entering his second year, and was drafted tenth overall in 2017. Mahomes has a solid core around him, and a strong running game. The problem is the defense will put some pressure on Mahomes to put up points. That wasn’t an issue for him at Texas Tech by any means. Kareem Hunt had a monster rookie yet, and will be the lead back again here. Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West will be guys to be mixed in every now and then. Tyreek Hill has been an explosive option used all over the field the last few seasons. Now he has Sammy Watkins to play on the outside, and of course Travis Kelce at tight end. This is a group that is expected to be playing from behind a lot, or in shootout games.

Leaning on Young Talent in 2018

The Chiefs season can to an abrupt halt at the hands of the Tennessee Titans in 2017. Marcus Mariota was the heart-breaker that left Kansas City packing. This devastating defeat was almost immediately met with the departure of Alex Smith. Smith moved to the Redskins in a move that left some people baffled. This only impacted and backed the faith the team has in Patrick Mahomes. The team spent a high draft pick on the Texas Tech product, so it left some surprised that the team was willing to give him full run after just a year of learning. The learning curve might not be as tough to overcome for Mahomes, which gives the team promise in 2018.

Vying towards a younger roster, the team immediately switched Mahomes to starter designation. They needed that confidence booster to kick in quickly, so he could adapt to the offense that Andy Reid has applied for the team. This face-paced, West Coast design is something Mahomes has flourished with in college. The pro pace is a little different, but it places him in a nice spot early on. The team wanted to surround him with some additional weapons, which is why the team went out of their way to acquire Sammy Watkins. Watkins was a standout in college and has shown flashes at the professional level. Lining him apart from Tyreek Hill and you have a run-and-gun mentality for all participants. His is a big body with a lot of upside in terms of reach and go-getter mental focus. He will flourish within this offense type as it benefits his big-play capabilities. The team is looking like a baseball team with all the homerun hitters they have on their roster. Kareem Hunt also gives the team the change of pace they need to truly slow defenses to a crawl. They are going to be able to highlight and attack teams where they show weakness given this vast talent pool.

The team also took a hit at multiple positions on the defense. The team failed to re-sign Marcus Peters and Derrick Johnson, spelling the end of the road for these two talents in Kansas City. The team also released Tamba Hali, trimming the defensive line to a significant decrease. Kendall Fuller was acquired in the trade with Alex Smith, and while he's no Marcus Peters, his big frame and coverage capabilities lend him to be an important part of the new-looked secondary. Anthony Hitchens was the team's big linebacker signing. He fits in nicely with the likes of Dee Ford and Justin Houston. This 3-way attack gives the team high-end players that put up the numbers each and every year. This core is something to build around and diverts the attention from the offensive line. The attention the linebackers garnish will create opportunities for attack from the secondary and guys up front. This will be an interesting combination of players for a coordinator to work with, creating a dream scenario for many different blitz combinations and confusions.