The Chiefs continue to be one of the NFL’s true powerhouse franchises. In 2021 they finished 12-5, marking their fourth consecutive season with 12 or more wins. They also hosting the AFC Championship Game for the fourth straight year, which marked a first in NFL history. They didn’t make it any further though after a tough comeback loss to the Bengals. With an offseason of change, this team look very different headed into 2022.
Offseason additions and losses
You can’t talk about Chiefs’ offseason without mentioning their decision to trade Tyreek Hill to Miami. Hill has been a huge part of the offense during the Mahomes era, averaging 81 yards per game over the last four seasons. His departure will no doubt hit the offense hard in 2022. On the other side of the ball they saw defensive lynchpin Tyrann Mathieu depart for the Saints in free agency. Outside of those two big names they also lost Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes. The two played a combined 1,260 snaps at cornerback in 2021.
The team’s additions over the course of the offseason were clearly focused on addressing those big name departures. They obviously could not replace Hill with a single receiver, so went with two instead. The biggest deal went to former Packer Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who signed a three-year, $30 million deal. They also added Juju Smith-Schuster on a prove-it one-year deal. On defense they brought in former Houston safety Justin Reid to replace Mathieu, signing him to a three-year, $31.5 million deal.
2022 NFL Draft
| Pick | Player |
| 1.21 | Trent McDuffie – CB, Washington |
| 1.30 | George Karlaftis – EDGE, Purdue |
| 2.54 | Skyy Moore – WR, Western Michigan |
| 2.62 | Bryan Cook – S, Cincinnati |
| 3.103 | Leo Chenal – LB, Wisconsin |
| 4.135 | Joshua Williams – CB, Fayetteville State |
| 5.145 | Darian Kinnard – OT, Kentucky |
| 7.243 | Jaylen Watson – CB, Washington State |
| 7.251 | Isaiah Pacheco – RB, Rutgers |
| 7.259 | Nazeeh Johnson – S, Marshall |
Whilst the Chiefs lost some stars this offseason, they reloaded in the draft. They had two seemingly slam dunk picks in the first round with McDuffie and Karlaftis, both of whom should be immediate starters. Moore adds some much-needed depth at receiver and gives them a speedster from the slot with serious YAC ability. They managed to top it all off with two of the best value picks of the entire draft. Leo Chenal in the third was the bargain of the draft and Darian Kinnard could see starting reps at right tackle despite being a fifth rounder.
Offense
The Chiefs’ receiving corps has gone through a makeover this offseason. With Tyreek Hill gone, they decided to replace him with a number of players, adding Juju Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Skyy Moore. This not only signals a change to the structure of their passing game, but likely a shift in their playstyle. Both Juju and MVS are bigger bodied receivers who can chip in as blockers. This could see the use of more heavy personnel, with the Chiefs taking a more run-heavy approach in 2022.
With the exception of Hill, all of their key strengths on offense are back in 2022. Patrick Mahomes is coming off a relatively mediocre season by his standards, but he is still playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Travis Kelce is getting older, but he remains one of the best receiving threats in football. The offensive line should also be a strength again after a very good 2021 when they ranked eighth in adjusted line yards.
If you are trying to find a concern with the Chiefs’ offense it will be the uncertainty in the absence of Hill. He has been a key part of their franchise in recent years and has missed just five games since Mahomes became the starter in 2018. The team’s offensive identity has always revolved around trio of Mahomes, Hill and Kelce, with the idea that defenses can’t double both receiving threats. They have reaped the rewards of this for years and whether they can continue to thrive without Hill will be the big talking point for 2022.
Defense
The Chiefs’ defense underwent a dramatic transformation in 2021. They were one of the worst units in the NFL to start the season, ranking 30th in EPA per play through Week 8. Adding Melvin Ingram proved to be the catalyst for improvement as it allowed them to move Chris Jones back to the interior. From the following week until the end of the season they ranked 7th. Whilst they didn’t keep Ingram, they did invest a first round pick in George Karlaftis who should be their starting edge in 2022.
Karlaftis joins a defense full of exciting young talent. Willie Gay Jr. and Nick Bolton are outstanding at linebacker and could easily be in the conversation for one of best young duos at the position by the end of the season. In L’Jarius Sneed they have a ball-hawk at cornerback and added Trent McDuffie who gives them slot/boundary versatility.
The impact of Tyrann Mathieu’s departure cannot be understated. He was an essential part of Steve Spagnuolo’s defense and provided the positional versatility that allowed his defensive coordinator to get creative – Mathieu spent over 200 snaps at free safety, in the slot, and in the box in 2021. Things will no doubt be more vanilla without that swiss army knife in the secondary. Justin Reid is a quality replacement, but he’s much more of a traditional free safety. The question for 2022 is whether Spagnuolo can conjure up a defense that can still keep opposing offenses on their toes?
Prediction
The Chiefs might have lost two of their star names, but they have reloaded fantastically through both free agency and the draft. The offense will no doubt look different, but with Patrick Mahomes under center they will continue to be amongst the league’s best. The AFC West is tougher than ever, but the Chiefs should still be pushing for the title yet again.
