With the 2010s nearing the end, let’s build an all-decade team for the Kansas City Chiefs. Who were the best Chiefs between 2010-2019?
The 2020s are almost here and that means it’s time for a wide array of “best of the decade” posts. On that note, we here at KC Kingdom decided to tackle putting together a 2010s all-decade team for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The three who helped put this together were Leigh Oleszczak, Kole Berrey, and Cullen Jekel, who worked together to come up with the best possible list. So, how this works is we’ll go over every position on the team and pick who would be the starter at that position if this team were to go into a game. We also chose at least one alternate for just about every position, but some were difficult to do that for.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the 2010s All-Decade Chiefs team!
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – QUARTERBACK
STARTER: PATRICK MAHOMES
ALTERNATE: ALEX SMITH
It should come as no surprise that Patrick Mahomes is the Chiefs starting quarterback on the all-decade team, with Alex Smith serving as the alternate. It wasn’t that way in 2017, as Smith was the starter and Mahomes, then a rookie, was gracing the sidelines, but that’s not how this list works.
While I’d entertain hearing why people would advocate for Smith being the starter on this list, Mahomes is the clear choice. He threw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in his first full year as a starter and got the Chiefs to their first AFC Championship Game since the 1993 season. Oh yeah, and he won the MVP award that year.
Mahomes is the franchise quarterback that Chiefs fans have been dreaming about for their entire lives. He makes insane throws that are out of this world and had an injury not forced him to miss two games in 2019, he’d probably have been a strong frontrunner to repeat as the league MVP.
So yes, Patrick Mahomes would obviously be the QB1 if the all-decade team were to go out there and play a game.
Smith was great too though and did so much for the Kansas City Chiefs during his five years in our wonderful city. Smith, a former number one overall pick in 2005, was traded to the Chiefs in 2013 and helped turn things around after this team posed the league’s worst record.
Smith went 50-26 as a starter while throwing for 17,608 yards, 102 touchdowns, and 33 interceptions. He was a wonderful quarterback to have during the regular season because he’d win you games and get you to the playoffs. The playoffs were another story, however, as he’d typically struggle and shoulder a lot of the blame.
While some could attempt to debate who was the starter and who was the alternate here, one thing is for certain and that’s that no other Chiefs quarterback from 2010-2019 should even be contemplated for this list.
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – RUNNING BACK
STARTER: JAMAAL CHARLES
ALTERNATE: KAREEM HUNT
For the running back position, the starter was a no brainer; It’s obviously Jamaal Charles at RB1.
In 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014, Charles would gain over 1,000 yards on the ground while chipping in at least another 236 through the air. In 2012, he rushed for over 1,500 yards. The following season, he scored 12 rushing touchdowns and seven receiving touchdowns, leading the league with a total of 19 touchdowns scored. Twice–in 2010 and 2013–he’d accumulate more than 1,900 total yards of offense. And twice, in 2013 and 2014, he’d score touchdowns in the double digits.
During his prime, all of which came with the Chiefs during this decade, he was electric, capable of breaking a big play at a moment’s notice. Twice in 2012, he rushed for over 200 yards in a single game.
Near the end of the 2013 season, he rushed for only 20 yards and one touchdown against the Oakland Raiders, but caught eight passes for 195 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-31 victory. In Week 4 of the 2014 season, Charles led the Chiefs in a 41-14 rout of the New England Patriots as he scored three total touchdowns, including two in the air.
Here’s another stat when considering Charles as the team’s best running back of the decade: the Chiefs have had five 1,000-yard rushers between 2010 and 2019. Charles claims four of those.
The alternate running back was a little trickier, but we went with Kareem Hunt.
Unlike Charles, Kareem Hunt joined a Kansas City Chiefs organization on the upswing. Also unlike Charles, Hunt’s tenure was brief due to his getting unceremoniously released after it was revealed he’d lied to the front office about an off-the-field altercation.
Yet, in his short time with the Chiefs, Hunt, a third-round pick in 2017 out of Toledo, played well, leading the league in rushing yards as a rookie with 1,327 before collecting another 824 in 11 games before his release in 2018. In only 27 games with Kansas City, Hunt scored a total of 25 touchdowns–15 on the ground and 10 through the air. He also had seven games of at least 100 rushing yards.
The gulf is wide between Jamaal Charles and the rest of the Chiefs running backs this decade, but the next closest is, without question, Hunt. The What if? surrounding his time in Kansas City will always remain, and, as a result, will overshadow anything he did while wearing a Chiefs uniform.
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – WIDE RECEIVER
STARTERS: TYREEK HILL, DWAYNE BOWE
ALTERNATE: JEREMY MACLIN
Historically, the Chiefs wide receivers haven’t been very good and that came to light when compiling the 2010s all-decade team.
Tyreek Hill would be the WR1 and has 281 catches, 4115 yards and 32 touchdowns in his four seasons as a Chief. Hill is also a dynamic returner and is a 4x Pro-Bowler and 2x First Team All-Pro. Again, Hill is the more talented wide receiver, but it was tough to put him ahead of a longer tenured Chief.
At WR2, we have Dwayne Bowe, who is the franchise all-time leader in catches by a wide receiver, and second in yards. While Tyreek Hill is a more talented player and will probably break many, if not all, of the Chiefs receiving records, Bowe was doing great things before anyone even know who Hill was.
D-Bowe was a one time Pro Bowler and a one time 2nd Team All-Pro. He had 532 catches, 7,155 yards, and 44 touchdowns for the Chiefs, and he even led the entire league in touchdown catches with 15 touchdown grabs in 2010.
Rounding out the list for the Chiefs is Jeremy Maclin, who may have only had two seasons with the team, but did wonderful things in those two seasons. He caught 200 passes for 1,624 yards, and ten touchdowns. He also made one Pro Bowl with the team and had over 1,000 yards receiving in 2015, a year after the team went an entire season without any of their receivers finding the end zone.
Maclin gets the nod here as the WR3, as the position hasn’t been kind to the Chiefs in the history of the team, let alone this decade. This unit might not be as scary as a lot of other teams’ all decade wideouts, but considering how bad the position was, Chiefs fans should be happy with this corp.
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – TIGHT END
STARTER: TRAVIS KELCE
ALTERNATE: TONY MOEAKI
The starting tight end shouldn’t be a surprise. Travis Kelce has done things that no other tight end has done, including recording 1,000+ yards receiving for four consecutive seasons.
The Chiefs drafted Kelce in the third round in the 2013 NFL Draft and he didn’t do much his rookie year due to injury. In 2014, Kelce showed he was worthy of a high draft pick and he only got better from there.
With five Pro Bowl appearances and two All-Pros to his name, Kelce would, without a doubt, be the starting tight end for the Chiefs all-decade team.
The alternate choice was more difficult, but there were really only two options: Tony Moeaki and Anthony Fasano. When comparing these two players side by side, Moeaki was the better choice and won the alternate job.
Moeaki, who the Chiefs drafted in the third round of the 2010 draft, had a nice rookie year, grabbing 47 receptions for 556 yards and three touchdowns. He missed all of 2011 due to injury and while the 2012 team was awful, Moeaki still managed to haul in 33 receptions for 453 yards and a touchdown.
Fasano also only played in Kansas City for two seasons and only amassed 426 yards and seven touchdowns in those two years. The fact that he and Moeaki were the best choices to be Kelce’s backup in this scenario shows how average the tight end position was after Tony Gonzalez left.
If this team really was to play an actual game, however, fans would feel comfortable with Kelce as the TE1 and Moeaki backing him up.
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – OFFENSIVE LINE
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STARTING LEFT TACKLE: BRANDEN ALBERT
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STARTING LEFT GUARD: JEFF ALLEN
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STARTING CENTER: RODNEY HUDSON
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STARTING RIGHT GUARD: LAURENT DUVERNAY-TARDIF
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STARTING RIGHT TACKLE: MITCHELL SCHWARTZ
ALTERNATES (REGARDLESS OF POSITION): ERIC FISHER, BRIAN WATERS, CASEY WIEGMANN
For offensive line, we did something a little different. We chose starters for each position along the offensive line, but then we decided to go with only three alternates.
Branden Albert was our pick at left tackle, but Eric Fisher playing so well these past few years made that competition a little more difficult. Nevertheless, Fisher still earned an alternate on the list.
Albert was one of the Chiefs’ first round picks in 2008 and he became so good while in Kansas City that Miami paid him a boatload of money. He made it to one Pro Bowl with the Chiefs and fans felt pretty comfortable with Albert on that left side.
Left guard was a little trickier since the Chiefs haven’t had a great option there in a long time. While Brian Waters did play for Kansas City in 2010, we opted to go with Jeff Allen at left guard instead since he was reliable for several years. A lot of recent fans probably remember Allen for being more of a swing man, but he was a nice starter during his prime.
At center, Rodney Hudson was the obvious choice. He was so good during his four year stint in Kansas City and fans were devastated when he decided to leave for Oakland. Casey Wiegmann was a great center too, so we didn’t leave him off the list, but he’s an alternate.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has been wonderful at right guard, especially when you consider he was a sixth round draft choice out of a college in Canada. He was an easy choice to slot in there.
Finally, Mitchell Schwartz, who chose to sign with Kansas City after his time in Cleveland came to an end. Schwartz has been spectacular for the Chiefs, going toe-to-toe with some of the best pass rushers in the league. He was named All-Pro in 2018 and likely winning the award again in 2019. He’s a no brainer to start at right tackle for the all-decade team.
This offensive line might not match the 2003 unit, but they’d be pretty darn good!
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – DEFENSIVE END
STARTERS: CHRIS JONES, ALLEN BAILEY
ALTERNATE: JAYE HOWARD
At defensive end, the Chiefs have three solid options to take the field should the all-decade team take the field and actually play a real game.
Since being selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State, Chris Jones has appeared in 60 games, starting 40 of them. In that time, he’s collected a total of 32 sacks, including a whopping 15.5 last season and an even 8.0 this year. Jones has also racked up 134 combined tackles, 36 tackles for loss, and 70 QB hits, so he’s a no brainer to be one of the defensive ends on this team.
Next up is Allen Bailey, who would spend the first eight seasons of his career with the Chiefs. In those eight seasons, Bailey collected 19.5 sacks for the Chiefs, including a career-high 6.0 sacks in 2018, while gathering 34 tackles for loss and 33 QB hits.
Bailey was never a star for the Chiefs, but he was always an underappreciated member of a defense that continuously struggled, starting 61 games of the 102 in which he appeared between 2011 and 2018, so naturally, he’s a great starter to have on defense as well.
The alternate is Jaye Howard, who joined the Chiefs in 2013. He’d play a total of four seasons in Kansas City, starting 30 of the 42 games in which he donned a Chiefs uniform.
During his tenure, which ended after the 2016 season, he collected only 7.5 sacks with 5.5 of those coming in 2015. That year proved to be Howard’s best, as he collected a combined 57 tackles to go with 11 tackles for loss and nine QB hits.
These three were all lethal at their prime (which fortunately for Chiefs fans, is right now for Jones), and that’s why we picked them as the three defensive ends.
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – NOSE TACKLE
STARTER: DONTARI POE
ALTERNATE: DERRICK NNADI
At nose tackle, it was pretty simple. Dontari Poe won the starting job after spending half of the decade with the Chiefs. KC spent their first round pick on Poe in 2012 and it was a bit of a curious decision at the time, as Poe played at Memphis and wasn’t a big name coming into the draft.
He shut up the critics pretty quickly though, making it to two Pro Bowls during his Chiefs tenure and also becoming a staple on offense. He ran for two touchdowns (Hungry Pig Right) and also threw for a touchdown pass (Bloated Tebow Pass), clearly making him a force to be reckoned with on offense.
While Poe was great, the drop-off was apparent near the end of his five-year deal and the Chiefs decided to move on. Their eventual replacement for Poe came two years later and it’s Derrick Nnadi, who has been a nice draft pick by the team.
While Nnadi is getting the job done currently, if you put him in his prime against Poe in his prime, Poe would definitely win the starting job for the all-decade team.
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – SAFETY
STARTERS: ERIC BERRY AND TYRANN MATHIEU
ALTERNATES: RON PARKER AND KENDRICK LEWIS
Next we come to the safety position and Eric Berry is the clear front runner here.
His heart, passion, work ethic, and leadership was always on full display. His battle back from cancer sounds more fairy tale than real life, and his story is one that will be told in Kansas City for a long time. Berry was a 5x Pro-Bowler, 3x First Team All-Pro, and a one time Comeback Player of the Year. Berry set the tone for the defense, and was the epitome of class, passion, and production.
Behind Berry, Tyrann Mathieu is the clear favorite to become the next Chiefs legend at safety. Though he has only had one season with the team, his leadership and play have turned a historically bad defense into a frightful unit. He leads the team in interceptions with four, and his versatility opens up the defense in ways no other player could.
Mathieu may have been a Pro-Bowl snub, but should be an All-Pro when the 2019 season officially wraps. It also should be noted odds makers have Mathieu as a potential Defensive Player of the Year, and that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Rounding out our list of safeties are Ron Parker and Kendrick Lewis. Parker may have never made a Pro-Bowl, but he enjoyed six solid years as a safety for Kansas City. Parker males this list for his tenure and versatility.
He was asked to play slot corner and sometimes linebacker for the Chiefs as well as handling safety duties. He had 11 career interceptions in six years with the team, and is one of the more under appreciated players the Chiefs had during a dominant defensive stretch from 2013-2016.
Kendrick Lewis spent four seasons with the Chiefs and during that time started 50 games while appearing in 53 total. He had seven interceptions throughout his Kansas City tenure.
This safety unit would give opposing offenses trouble, that’s for sure!
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – CORNERBACK
STARTERS: MARCUS PETERS AND BRANDON FLOWERS
ALTERNATES: SEAN SMITH AND BRANDON CARR
This decade, the Chiefs have had some quality corners, even though most had very short tenures with the team.
Marcus Peters was a two time Pro Bowler for the Kansas City, before he was traded away after just his third season with the Chiefs. In his three season in Kansas City, he was able to get his hands on 19 interceptions, 55 pass break ups, and even added three touchdowns.
Outside of Peters, the Chiefs next best corner was Brandon Flowers. Flowers played six seasons for Kansas City, making a Pro Bowl appearance in 2013. Flowers was always underrated as a Chief, but he was able to make a noticeable impact during some of the Chiefs darker years.
Rounding out this All-Decade group are Sean Smith and Brandon Carr. Carr played three years with the team, and while he never made the Pro Bowl, he was solid opposite Flowers for a few. Carr is still in the league as well, speaking volumes of his talent and ability to provide solid if unspectacular play.
Sean Smith also never made a Pro Bowl, but he enjoyed a few good years in Kansas City before his decline. He appeared in 44 games as a Chief, and had a stretch of football games where he played like a true number one corner.
This group of corners would be a shutdown unit and it’d be incredibly difficult to score on them.
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – OUTSIDE LINEBACKER
STARTERS: JUSTIN HOUSTON AND TAMBA HALI
ALTERNATE: DEE FORD
Outside linebacker was pretty cut and dry, as Justin Houston and Tamba Hali got the two starting spots. Houston slid in the draft due to a failed drug test, but the Chiefs benefitted greatly from that, as he became one hell of a pass rusher during his time in KC.
Houston finished his Chiefs tenure with 78.5 sacks and in 2014, had 22 sacks on the year, just half a sack shy of the single season record. He made it to four Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro once. Houston was a ferocious pass rusher and he’d undoubtedly be on the all-decade team.
Hali was another incredible pass rusher for the Chiefs, sitting with 62.5 sacks in the 2010s and spending his entire career with Kansas City. Even though Hali petered off near the end of his career, he was dominant in his prime and even a position change didn’t slow him down. He made it to five Pro Bowls in the 2010s.
The alternate is Dee Ford, who was very up and down, but earned a spot on this list with his 30.5 sacks through five seasons. Health was an issue for Ford, who missed time frequently due to injuries, but when he was on the field, he made it count, posting two seasons with double digit sack totals. He made it to one Pro Bowl as a Chief.
The Chiefs pass rush would be terrifying if the all-decade team were to take the field!
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – INSIDE LINEBACKER
STARTERS: DERRICK JOHNSON AND ANTHONY HITCHENS
ALTERNATE: JOSH MAUGA
The inside linebackers were tricky, outside of Derrick Johnson of course. DJ was a no brainer to include on this list, even if he did spend a brief period of time as a member of the Oakland Raiders (we forgive you, DJ).
Johnson made it to four Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro once during his Chiefs career while also being the voice of the defense and the heart of the team. He was the only lock to be included here as far as inside linebackers go.
Lining up with Johnson, we went with Anthony Hitchens, who didn’t have a great inaugural season with the Chiefs, but stepped it up in year two. Hitchens had 135 total tackles during the 2018 season and added another 88 in 2019, showing that he can make his hits count.
For the alternate spot, Josh Mauga won the job fair and square. He only spent two years with the Chiefs, but was a consistent player who started 30 games in those two seasons. He actually stepped in for Johnson when he went down in the first game of the 2014 season.
Inside linebacker is certainly one of the weaker spots on our all-decade roster, but Derrick Johnson in his prime would make it a force to be reckoned with!
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – KICKER
STARTER: HARRISON BUTKER
ALTERNATE: CAIRO SANTOS
The Chiefs only had three kickers in the 2010s and all three of them were good, so it made the kicker position difficult to narrow down. We ultimately went with Harrison Butker as the starting kicker (that sounds weird) with Cairo Santos serving as his backup.
Butker won the job due to being as clutch as they come at the position. He joined the Chiefs early on in the 2017 season and never relinquished the job. He has made 89% of his field goals while knocking through 95% of his extra point attempts.
It was a tough decision for the backup kicking job between Santos and Ryan Succopp, but we decided to go with Santos, who made 84.4% of his field goal attempts. He had a better extra point percentage than Butker with a 96.2%, but keep in mind that extra points got moved back a few years ago.
If the all-decade team were to take the field and play a game and things came down to a field goal, fans would want Harrison Butker out there at the kicker spot.
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – PUNTER
STARTER: DUSTIN COLQUITT
ALTERNATE: N/A
This was the easiest entry on the list because there was only one possible entry and that’s Dustin Colquitt. The Chiefs drafted Colquitt in the third round in the 2005 NFL Draft and I’m sure at the time people were upset that they spent a high pick on a punter, but my guess is those people don’t feel that way anymore.
During his time as the Chiefs punter, Colquitt has only missed two games during his career, but both of those games came in 2008. In other words, Colquitt has been the only Chiefs punter in the 2010s and no one is surprised that he’s still rocking and rolling.
In this decade, Colquitt has been named to two Pro Bowls (2012 and 2016) and has consistently been one of the best in the league. At 37 years old at the end of the 2019 season, Colquitt is likely nearing the end of his career and the fact that he managed to stay with the same team for his entire career, especially at a position like punter, is a testament to how good he’s been throughout his career.
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – LONG SNAPPER
STARTER: JAMES WINCHESTER
ALTERNATE: N/A
This is a hard one to gauge since we only really notice long snappers when they screw up, but James Winchester has handled the long snapping duties for the Chiefs since the 2015 season. He might not be the next Kendall Gammon, but he’s been a steady force at the position for KC this decade.
2010S ALL-DECADE TEAM – RETURN SPECIALIST
STARTER: DEXTER MCCLUSTER
ALTERNATE: TYREEK HILL
Last, but not least, we have our return specialists and we settled on Dexter McCluster being the main guy to field kicks and punts. McCluster, or Run-DMC as Chiefs fans often called him, was a stellar return man during his four years as a Chief. He returned three total punts for touchdowns and made it to a Pro Bowl in 2013.
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Tyreek Hill was our other return specialist, though he’s gotten away from doing so as he’s been more transitioned into a WR1, which is why we put him as the alternate here. Hill had four total punts returned to the house while also returning one kickoff for six points.
The Chiefs have had some great return specialists over the last decade, so it was tough to narrow it down, but these were ultimately the two we opted to go with.
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The 2010s were good to the Kansas City Chiefs. They found their franchise quarterback, lights out wide receiver, and dominant tight end along with some stars on the defensive side of the ball as well.
While it was tough narrowing this list down, the three of us felt like this all-decade team could go toe-to-toe with just about any all-decade team in the league.