After years of utter supremacy, the Kansas City Chiefs are no longer the team to beat in the National Football League, maybe not even in the AFC. Of course, other teams know better than to look past Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, but that's neither here nor there.
For too long, the Chiefs won despite their glaring flaws. The fans and the media saw them, and, to a degree, even other teams exploited them. Even so, this team seemed to be blessed by the football gods, with every lucky bounce and fortunate outcome often going their way.
Their fortune may have run out in 2025, leaving their weaknesses exposed. That's why, as much as some still want to believe these are the Chiefs of old, the fact of the matter is that there's still plenty of work to do.
Considering that, we can't help but disagree with Kristopher Knox's latest take. In his most recent column for Bleacher Report, he listed offensive tackle as the team's biggest weakness, but looking at the roster without rose-colored glasses, that might not even crack the top three.
The Chiefs have multiple weaknesses to address in training camp
"Left tackle and 2025 first-round pick Josh Simmons was limited to eight games as a rookie by an absence for personal reasons and a season-ending wrist fracture. He was ranked just 58th overall among tackles by Pro Football Focus for the season, while projected starting right tackle Jaylon Moore was ranked 56th overall by PFF," wrote Knox.
Fair enough. The Chiefs released longtime right tackle Jawaan Taylor and didn't bring in anyone else to take his spot, so that's a fair concern. That said, basing offensive line play solely on their PFF grades might be insufficient, especially considering that Josh Simmons looked the part as a rookie when he was able to play.
The Chiefs should be on the lookout for OT help, but not before they address their glaring needs at defensive end. George Karlaftis hasn't lived up to his contract, Felix Anudike-Uzomah has barely played, and they might be asking too much of rookie R Mason Thomas.
There's also the wide receiver depth issue. Yes, on paper, Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice should be an elite one-two punch, but that hasn't been the case in real life. Worthy was banged up for most of his underwhelming second year, and Rice has been hurt/suspended/inconsistent, along with a month-long bout in jail after his breakout rookie campaign.
Tyquan Thornton gives them a big-play specialist with a well-proven rapport with Patrick Mahomes, and rookie Cyrus Allen is promising but unproven. With Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster gone, there's not much depth.
That's not even their only concern on offense. Barring a shocking turn of events, this will be Travis Kelce's final season with the team. Even if that weren't the case, they didn't do much to prepare for the post-Kelce era. As things stand now, Noah Gray, Jared Wiley, and Jake Briningstool are the team's other options at the position.
Last but not least, the Chiefs are facing major uncertainty in the secondary. Granted, Mansoor Delane and Nohl Williams are two promising pieces, but they haven't been battle-tested as entrenched starters and will have some big shoes to fill.
Of course, this isn't to say that the Chiefs won't be back to the mountaintop next season. If any team can do it, it's definitely Kansas City. However, they're not as stacked as they used to be, with proven top-end talent, and Brett Veach must get to work before he regrets it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google