The future is hard to believe.

[Direckshun]

Look at this roster for 2023. It's ****ing madness.

QB: Mahomes, Buechele (RFA)
RB: Pacheco, McKinnon (easy re-sign), Edwards-Helaire
FB: Burton (easy re-sign)

WR: Valdez-Scantling, Moore, Watson (easy re-sign), Ross
TE: Kelce, Gray, Fortson (RFA)

LT: ???, Wanogho (RFA)
LG: Thuney, Wylie (easy re-sign)
C: Humphrey
RG: Smith, Wylie (easy re-sign)
RT: Niang, Wanogho (RFA)

DE: Danna, Kaindoh
DT: Jones, Wharton (RFA)
DT: ???
DE: Karlaftis,

WLB: Gay
MLB: Bolton, Chenal
SLB: Chenal, Cochrane (RFA)

CB: Sneed, McDuffie, Watson, Williams, Johnson
S: Reid, Cook, Bush (easy re-sign)

K: Butker
P: Townsend (RFA)
LS: Winchester

2023 Cap space: $45m with a Frank Clark cut, and even more with a Mahomes re-structure
2023 Draft picks: 12: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd (Poles), 4th, 4th (Hill), 5th, 6th, 6th (Hill), 6th (Ingram), 7th, 7th (Reed)

Key FA decisions to make:

LT Orlando Brown, Jr.: will he bring his price down?, will they franchise him again? might they actually tag-and-trade?
FS Juan Thornhill: a talented, sub-Pro Bowl player; obvious re-sign
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster: seems like an obvious re-sign, price shouldn't be too bad
WR Mecole Hardman: he either signs a one-year prove-it or he walks
DT Khalen Saunders: he either signs a one-year prove-it or he walks
RB Jerick McKinnon: a must re-sign and should be cheap

They make a splash somewhere at DL in free agency. I think the Chiefs make the deals with Thornhill and JuJu. The Chiefs likely burn a 1st round pick (and goodies for a trade-up) to help fix the tackle situation if they need a LT, or they spend that 1st on the best DL they can get their mitts on if Brown comes to his senses and burns a 2nd day pick on RT.

They will draft a WR high, they may sniff out a top-end talent at RB somewhere for a steal, and then they just add depth in the trenches.

This team may win a Super Bowl this year. They shed Tyreek Hill, the best WR in the NFL, and still got better on offense. And they're going to have ungodly cap space, a dozen picks to stock this roster.

It's going to be absolutely disgusting how good this team is going to be next year, and for the foreseeable future. The Chiefs are in transition this year and still may win it all. If the Chiefs win the Super Bowl this year, we may legit be talking threepeat.

They're going to be that good.

[RunKC]

All we need on offense is a RT and depth in mid/later rounds. I think you can bring everyone back at WR next year except Hardman and be just fine.

RT, pass rusher and Safety to replace Thornhill is what I want to see early in the draft

[O.city]

Originally Posted by RunKC

All we need on offense is a RT and depth in mid/later rounds. I think you can bring everyone back at WR next year except Hardman and be just fine.

RT, pass rusher and Safety to replace Thornhill is what I want to see early in the draft

I'd guess they just drafted the safety to replace Thornhill.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by O.city

I'd guess they just drafted the safety to replace Thornhill.

I kinda hope Thornhill is out a couple so we can get a good look at Cook.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by RunKC

All we need on offense is a RT and depth in mid/later rounds. I think you can bring everyone back at WR next year except Hardman and be just fine.

RT, pass rusher and Safety to replace Thornhill is what I want to see early in the draft

IF the Chiefs believe in Brown AND he will sign for the type of extension they're comfortable with, the offseason path becomes a little easier to navigate.

I'm not sure they do that, though.

[Dull Tools]

With Toney now our WR room and Moore finally having a big game looks fairly stacked for next year.

If we do a cheap resign on Watson then we could 3 WRs on the roster for next to nothing.

I think we could then cut MVS and save $7m on the cap to spend elsewhere.

I think we could then resign Juju or get a 2nd/3rd round pick in the draft. There really is nothing in free agency next year other than Juju.

We are in a great position at WR now and have proved that we can do it with a WR by comittee which means we shouldn't spend big on anyone now.

Would love to put the resources into the tackle position and then the defence now.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by Dull Tools

With Toney now our WR room and Moore finally having a big game looks fairly stacked for next year.

If we do a cheap resign on Watson then we could 3 WRs on the roster for next to nothing.

I think we could then cut MVS and save $7m on the cap to spend elsewhere.

I think we could then resign Juju or get a 2nd/3rd round pick in the draft. There really is nothing in free agency next year other than Juju.

We are in a great position at WR now and have proved that we can do it with a WR by comittee which means we shouldn't spend big on anyone now.

Would love to put the resources into the tackle position and then the defence now.

Isn't that crazy?

Here's what the depth chart is now, projecting an easy Justin Watson re-sign:

WR: Toney, Valdez-Scantling, Moore, Watson (easy re-sign), Ross

I do think you re-sign JuJu, and hell I'd keep MVS one more year.

Moore, Watson, rounding out the bottom of that depth chart, with a flyer on Justyn Ross.

Honestly you may not need to draft a WR at all.

[O.city]

I wouldn't be opposed to drafting another WR, even high, if there's a guy that falls a bit that you think can be a real alpha, but I think they kinda went with the WRBC approach and they should stick to that.

Just stack the room with as many good players as you can and let them fight it out.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by O.city

I wouldn't be opposed to drafting another WR, even high, if there's a guy that falls a bit that you think can be a real alpha, but I think they kinda went with the WRBC approach and they should stick to that.

Just stack the room with as many good players as you can and let them fight it out.

I'm not automatically opposed to that but they have to fix the DL and that's going to require heavy early round investments the next couple of years.

Our four rotational DEs have less than 10 sacks on the year so far. (Dunlap 4, Clark 3, Danna 2, Karlaftis 0.5.) Jones/Saunders have racked up 11.5 combined and Spags' blitzes have added an additional 10.

I think we all believe Karlaftis will develop into a solid sack guy, but they need to make multiple investments at DE and probably another one or two at DT.

At some point, they need to have a deeper-than-league-average, lethal passrush with their four down lineman. Because teams are passing it on us more than almost any other team in the league.

That's really the one place I look at this roster and I see a weak depth chart heading into next year. Veach has really let this position wither on the vine a little while stacking up everywhere else.

And we've let the trade deadline go, and Burns/Allen/Chubb got away from us.

It's time to course correct and they have to do it in the draft.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by RunKC

All we need on offense is a RT and depth in mid/later rounds. I think you can bring everyone back at WR next year except Hardman and be just fine.

RT, pass rusher and Safety to replace Thornhill is what I want to see early in the draft

Interestingly, I think it was the absence of JJSS and not the absence of Hardman that led to greater opportunity for Moore.

I'm not 100% convinced you NEED JJSS back if Moore can get you 60-70 yards and some key 3rd downs in that role.

Though if you let him go (and if MVS continues to shrink in larger opportunities, likely leading to his release) you end up awfully small at WR again. Not to mention shallow.

I just don't know that JJSS and Moore are terribly complementary players. Especially not with Kelce out there occupying the same areas on the field.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I kinda hope Thornhill is out a couple so we can get a good look at Cook.

Cook looked to be very much a box safety last night. He was getting cooked {rimshot} in space.

It's just not his style. He's more akin to Justin Reid than he is Juan Thornhill.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I'm not automatically opposed to that but they have to fix the DL and that's going to require heavy early round investments the next couple of years.

Our four rotational DEs have less than 10 sacks on the year so far. (Dunlap 4, Clark 3, Danna 2, Karlaftis 0.5.) Jones/Saunders have racked up 11.5 combined and Spags' blitzes have added an additional 10.

I think we all believe Karlaftis will develop into a solid sack guy, but they need to make multiple investments at DE and probably another one or two at DT.

At some point, they need to have a deeper-than-league-average, lethal passrush with their four down lineman. Because teams are passing it on us more than almost any other team in the league.

That's really the one place I look at this roster and I see a weak depth chart heading into next year. Veach has really let this position wither on the vine a little while stacking up everywhere else.

And we've let the trade deadline go, and Burns/Allen/Chubb got away from us.

It's time to course correct and they have to do it in the draft.

Oh I definitely think you have to do what you gotta do and go heavy on the DL.

But they are kind of at the point where they can't just ignore any spot and go heavy on one only.

They need to just continue to add talent across the board. You just never know where a spot will pop up and you need to save some money or save a spot etc.

For instance, if there's a guy you really like that plays T is there in the 2nd or so, go ahead and draft the guy. Or hell, I wouldn't be opposed to taking a DE or DT in back to back picks if that's the way it shakes out.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I'm not automatically opposed to that but they have to fix the DL and that's going to require heavy early round investments the next couple of years.

Our four rotational DEs have less than 10 sacks on the year so far. (Dunlap 4, Clark 3, Danna 2, Karlaftis 0.5.) Jones/Saunders have racked up 11.5 combined and Spags' blitzes have added an additional 10.

I think we all believe Karlaftis will develop into a solid sack guy, but they need to make multiple investments at DE and probably another one or two at DT.

In the 4th quarter (maybe even that final drive) Karlaftis absolutely roasted the RT to 'half a man' and had him beat...and then looked like a semi-truck trying to turn the corner.

I just don't think his game will ever be 'plus sack guy'. He impacted that play by moving Herbert off his spot; probably got credited with a hurry. But that's exactly the kind of nominal pressure that can inflate pressure numbers in a way that doesn't necessarily lead to sacks at any point.

He just could not get himself turned at all.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Cook looked to be very much a box safety last night. He was getting cooked {rimshot} in space.

It's just not his style. He's more akin to Justin Reid than he is Juan Thornhill.

They've got him back there in that role though, gotta just hope he learns and develops. He seemed to be in on some plays at least but I'm not too sure that's a good thing.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

In the 4th quarter (maybe even that final drive) Karlaftis absolutely roasted the RT to 'half a man' and had him beat...and then looked like a semi-truck trying to turn the corner.

I just don't think his game will ever be 'plus sack guy'. He impacted that play by moving Herbert off his spot; probably got credited with a hurry. But that's exactly the kind of nominal pressure that can inflate pressure numbers in a way that doesn't necessarily lead to sacks at any point.

He just could not get himself turned at all.

That is something you can coach up. There is technique to that, and after a year, maybe two, you'll see him rack up around 6-8 sacks on the regular.

I do agree with your assessment, and I don't blame Veach for drafting him -- we had nothing in the DE room and he's a high energy guy who can give you 60 quality snaps a game for 17 games -- but we are in need of some dynamism off the edge. Of our passrushers, Frank Clark in "good" mode and maybe only Danna threatens a tackle's outside shoulder with any regularity.

That has to change.

[O.city]

Yeah, he didn't exactly bend much there. I just don't think that's his game or will be. He can definitely improve a bit at it and be a good player, but I think he's a bit capped.