Kansas City Chiefs: 2018 roster should be better than last year’s

Plenty of players were replaced this offseason for the Kansas City Chiefs. A deeper look into the replacements points to the Chiefs being better.

The Kansas City Chiefs are probably the biggest unknown team of this NFL offseason. A new quarterback with all the hype but nothing proven, a defense that isn’t recognizable from last season’s roster, and a new offensive scheme leave plenty to question.

There are grumblings throughout the fan base that feel the defense has taken too many losses personnel-wise, from one of the worst defenses the last two seasons. They say the Kansas City Chiefs paid too much for Sammy Watkins and didn’t do enough in free agency. Quite frankly, a popular opinion is that the replacements just aren’t good enough, or at least they are nothing to brag about.

The fact is, the new players in these positions don’t have to be great, they just have to be better. Better than bad isn’t that far of a stretch.

More from KC Kingdom

• Win $650 GUARANTEED Plus $100 Off NFL Sunday Ticket With Caesars, FanDuel and DraftKings Kansas Promos!
• This Plus-Money Bobby Witt Jr. Prop Bet is on Fire (Hit in 15/21 Games)!
• How to Bet on the Chiefs vs. Cardinals in NFL Preseason Week 2
• The Royals Need to Extend Bobby Witt Jr. Immediately
• The 3 Most Intriguing Games on the Chiefs’ Schedule

When it comes to the defense especially, the new faces need to perform and produce, they do not need to become Pro Bowl caliber players. The same goes for every new position player on the team. They were brought in to fill spots and fill roles.

This piece will provide the reader with an insightful look at the new faces on the team compared to the guys that have now moved on. The Chiefs will be a better team next season, after this, you will probably agree.

First up we will look at Sammy Watkins filling in the No.2 receiver spot.

Sammy Watkins over Chris Conley/Albert Wilson

Is there really any doubt about this one? No offense to Conley or Wilson, but Sammy Watkins has the potential of being a perennial top 10 receiver in the league. The guy won’t even be the No.1 on the Chiefs.

The numbers aren’t close, the production isn’t similar.

Albert Wilson – Last season was his best season so far as a pro with 42 catches, 554 yards, and three touchdowns.

Chris Conley – Over his entire three-year career he has totaled 72 catches, 904 yards, and one touchdown.

Sammy Watkins – Last season was considered an off year for Sammy Watkins. He never fully gelled as a Ram, yet his numbers are still significantly better than the previous No.2 receivers Kansas City has had. Last season he had 39 catches, 593 yards, and eight touchdowns.

If you take last seasons totals alone, Watkins is a tremendous upgrade at the receiver spot opposite Tyreek Hill.

Amerson/Fuller over Gaines/Mitchell/Nelson

Phillip Gaines has had his fair share of problems on the field. It seemed as if each pass play was being directed at him. It was a pretty good strategy considering the opportunities that came the receivers way.

Whether it be a defensive penalty or blown coverage, good things happened when Gaines was on the field, but not for the Chiefs. The comparison may, in fact, be disrespectful to Amerson here.

Phillip Gaines – Gaines has 89 tackles and one interception over four seasons. Enough said.

David Amerson – With one more season under his belt, Amerson has totaled 218 tackles and eight interceptions.

Amerson is a huge upgrade here. Although he isn’t Marcus Peters, he is an upgrade from Peters’ supporting cast. Amerson is a far better player than Terrance Mitchell and what we’ve seen from Steven Nelson so far as well.

Kendall Fuller – This season will just be his third season in the NFL. Fuller is better than any cornerback currently on the Chiefs roster. In two seasons, he has 74 tackles and four interceptions. He’s just getting his feet wet.

No, none of these guys are a Marcus Peters. The addition of Amerson and Fuller make the secondary globally better though. As a group, the secondary has been pleasantly upgraded from where it was last season.

Other additions on Defense

Let’s remember that the 2018 team has to outperform a 2017 squad that had Frank Zombo and Daniel Sorenson starting during the season. Zombo started nine games for Kansas City in 2017. His production was limited to 22 tackles.

Like him or not, a healthy Dee Ford is better than a healthy Zombo. Breeland Speaks could total that number of tackles within the first quarter of games in 2018, off the bench. Again, we are looking at production. The Chiefs did not produce defensively.

Sorenson started 14 games for Kansas City in 2017. He did have 66 tackles and an interception, but he was lost in coverage during so many games.

Robert Golden, Leon McQuay, Armani Watts, and even Eric Murray seem to be better options than Sorenson at this point. None of the above guys have been truly battle-tested as of yet, leaving much to question at the safety spot opposite of Eric Berry. Speaking of Berry, he was hurt in week one last season and did not return, his presence is a definite upgrade.

Other additions, such as Xavier Williams and Anthony Hitchens have a chance to make a splash in Kansas City. Time will tell of course, but the notion that Kansas City will be worse defensively is straight propaganda.

Next: 10 worst seasons in Chiefs history

The defense will be much deeper, and more talented than it was in 2017. More importantly, the defense will be younger.