Kansas City Chiefs: Taking a look at the Chiefs offense for 2018
By Scott Steehn
The Kansas City Chiefs look to rev up the offense before handing the keys to the offense to Patrick Mahomes. Will it be a Corvette or a Prius?
The Kansas City Chiefs addressed their defensive shortcomings in last month’s NFL Draft by using all seven picks on that side of the ball. The only nod to the offense was sixth-round pick, Kahlil McKenzie. McKenzie spent his career at Tennessee as a nose tackle, but the Chiefs plan to convert him to guard.
The offense remains mostly intact, save for one huge difference. The Chiefs traded veteran quarterback Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick. After trading up in 2017 to grab him, the Patrick Mahomes era has officially begun.
Statistically, Chiefs offense had a great year in 2017. Rookie Kareem Hunt led the NFL in rushing with 1327 yards. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill delivered, with both posting 1000-yard seasons, and for the first time in his career, Alex Smith hit the 4000-yard mark.
Despite the gaudy individual numbers, trouble lurked just beneath the surface. That trouble reared its ugly head in the Wild Card game against the Titans. After losing Kelce to a concussion right before half time, the offense was unable to move the ball efficiently for the remainder of the game.
The Kansas City Chiefs are hoping by having Mahomes under center; they can add versatility and strengthen their vertical passing game. While this offseason brought far more changes on the defensive side of the ball, the offense did make a few tweaks.