Expect Fireworks in Abundance From the Chiefs This Season

Despite a retooling of sorts, don't expect the Chiefs' explosiveness to go away all of a sudden.

A lot has been made of the Kansas City Chiefs' offseason. While so many teams in the AFC — and even the AFC West — have gotten better, Kansas City has undergone a transformational phase and could be due to experience some growing pains over the course of the 2022 season. 

Don't let that trick you into thinking that the Chiefs won't unleash a ton of Fourth of July-esque fireworks this year, though.

The bar is set high, making for huge shoes to fill for the 2022 Andy Reid offense to fill. As Rich Hribar and Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis noted, the NFL's top unit from a season ago also led the league in points per drive, touchdowns per drive, yards per drive and plays per drive. That level of sheer dominance came amidst what seemed to be a "down" year, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes and star receiving weapons Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill all experienced less-than-normal spurts of play during the season.

Gone is Hill, as well as depth pieces Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle. In their places are JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The Chiefs' wideout room is deeper than it was a season ago, which should give Mahomes more options to work with when things break down in regards to the original structure of plays. 

Defenses stifled Kansas City at times with two-high safety coverages in 2021, either forcing Reid's hand to make the team run the ball or forcing Mahomes's hand to hit his check-downs on underneath passes. With more weapons at their disposal, the Chiefs may unlock the ability to do just about everything when they have the ball. Their consistency will need to be developed over time, although the sheer numbers game of having three or four players capable of getting open versus merely two projects to be a benefit in a vacuum.

Furthermore, the Chiefs' running back room very well could be an improved unit from what the team trotted out last year. Behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon and Derrick Gore return and will serve as tremendous competition throughout training camp (and possibly into the season, re: McKinnon). Elsewhere, free agent acquisition Ronald Jones and seventh-round draft pick Isiah Pacheco provide dynamic skill sets and athletic profiles alike. Whatever group Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy settle on will bring multiple elements to this year's offense.

The fireworks won't stop there. Steve Spagnuolo's defense has seen even more changes this offseason, losing longtime starters such as Tyrann Mathieu, Anthony Hitchens and Charvarius Ward. Not only did general manager Brett Veach opt for a youth movement at the second and third levels of the defense, but he opted for ferocity and athleticism as well. Players such as Leo Chenal and Bryan Cook were two of the hardest hitters in the 2022 NFL Draft and can also get going in a hurry. Up front, first-round pick George Karlaftis plays with an obvious mean streak and has room to get back to his old athletic form now that he's shed some weight.

From a splash-play standpoint, both sides of the Chiefs' attack (and, really, even special teams) figure to add several points to the board via explosive plays. Reid's high-flying offense could make a return to its deep-ball roots and with younger and more versatile athletes, Spagnuolo's group should be fun as well. Even if Kansas City takes a step back in the record department this season, there should be very little doubt about what's in store. Expect fireworks in abundance from the Chiefs in 2022.