Heading into 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs must address these perceived weaknesses.
As I’m sure you’ve heard many times over the past five months, the Kansas City Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl Champions. As I’m sure you’ve also heard many times over the past couple months, the Chiefs have brought back a large portion of their starters from last year’s team. That bodes well in their quest to become the first back-to-back-to-back champions in NFL history. However, as there has been with every team in the history of sports, the Chiefs have some areas of concern as training camp rapidly approaches.
Replacing L’Jarius Sneed
The Chiefs’ defense was nothing short of elite last season. They held teams to just 17.3 points per game (second in the NFL). The leading factor in that was the pass defense. Allowing just 177 passing yards per game, the defense was able to suffocate nearly every offense they faced. They held four teams to under 100 passing yards and another five teams under 200 passing yards. That is a crazy stat in today’s game.
The focal point of that Chiefs’ secondary was L’Jarius Sneed, who had 14 passes defensed and allowed a measly 51-percent completion rate on passes thrown his way. Unfortunately, the Chiefs moved on from Sneed this offseason, trading him to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2025 third-round draft pick.
While a third-round pick is a very valuable asset to have, there is virtually no way of replacing the level of play Sneed brought over the past couple seasons. The front office and coaching staff trust the players they have on the roster to provide the level of play needed for the team to be successful. That was displayed when the Chiefs waited until the end of the fourth round to take a secondary player in the draft. They doubled down by not adding a single significant secondary player in free agency. Clearly, they like what they have in-house when it comes to replacing Sneed.
The leading candidates to get the Week 1 starting nod are Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, and Nazeeh Johnson. Watson and Williams will be the early favorites heading into training camp. After all, they played the most snaps behind Sneed and Trent McDuffie last season. However, I lean towards Johnson winning the battle in training camp.
Johnson appeared to be on track for the lead backup role last season before tearing his ACL during training camp. Now that he is back to 100-percent, I expect him to take that the lead and be the starter opposite McDuffie to start the season. While it won’t be a one-man job to replace Sneed, whoever is on the field will have big shoes to fill for the Chiefs in 2024.
Protecting Mahomes’ Blindside
Since Eric Fisher left after the 2021 season, the left tackle spot has been a bit of a roller coaster for the Chiefs. Orlando Brown held the spot for two years and was mostly a positive for the team. He was a Pro Bowler both years, helping lead the Chiefs to a Super Bowl during his second season. However, it just wasn’t clicking like the team and fans were used to with Fisher. When Brown signed with the Cincinnati Bengals last offseason, the Chiefs looked to both the draft and free agency to fill the void.
Donovan Smith was the primary starter, with rookie Wanya Morris filling in during his brief absence due to injury. Neither played outstandingly well, but both played well enough for the Chiefs to win their second straight Super Bowl. This year, the spot will be even more under the microscope than it has ever been in the Patrick Mahomes Era.
The top candidates to be the Week 1 starter are Morris and rookie Kingsley Suamataia. Given his prior experience in the offense, assume that Morris will get the early nod while Suamataia works in behind him. However, it’s possible that Suamataia takes over as the starter at some point later in the season.
Suamataia is a bit of a project, but has the physical attributes to be an above average starting tackle in the NFL. If he can refine his skills and adapt to the next level of play, Suamataia could be the Chiefs’ long term answer at tackle. While I’m not sure if either of these guys are a safe option like Brown and Smith were, I think both have the upside to be plenty good enough for the Chiefs in 2024 and beyond.
