Chiefs News: New ESPN ranking lists roster among the league’s best

On Tuesday, ESPN published a ranking of the NFL’s 2024 rosters. Analysts Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder each ranked a projection of every NFL starting lineup (and a 12th player who rotates into the lineup for each side of the ball) by considering the talent, age and production of every player. Those rankings were then combined.

After being listed first in the 2023 ranking, the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2024 roster was ranked second behind the San Francisco 49ers’ squad. The Baltimore Ravens’ roster was third.

Biggest strength: Quarterback. This is the easiest pick I’ll make, so I’ll just update what I wrote here last year: Two-time league MVP Patrick Mahomes has already won the Super Bowl and the Super Bowl MVP three times each. He achieved both of those last season — despite a substantial drop-off in scoring (29.2 PPG in 2022 to 21.8 in 2023) — further cementing himself as the league’s best player. Mahomes is 28 years old, and his dominant reign is far from over. — Clay

When the story of this period in the Chiefs’ franchise history is finally told, much of it will center on Mahomes’ amazing talent. But what he and his teammates showed us in 2023 went far beyond their abilities on the field.

Following the bye week, the team posted a 2-4 record — and then after a humiliating home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day, won six straight matchups to win its second consecutive championship.

That takes leadership. Some of it comes from head coach Andy Reid (After starting the 2015 season 1-5, the Chiefs won 10 straight to make the playoffs). But the rest comes from Mahomes. Kansas City does — and will — lose some games. That’s the NFL. But as long as Mahomes is on the field, a game is never over.

Biggest weakness: Offensive tackle. Kansas City has done a lot right in recent years, but the four-year, $80 million deal handed to RT Jawaan Taylor last offseason remains a major head-scratcher. Taylor struggled again in 2023, posting poor marks in run block win rate while ranking top 10 among tackles in pressures, hits and hurries allowed. An even larger concern is left tackle, with Donovan Smith out and the likes of Wanya Morris (a 2023 third-rounder who played 324 snaps), Lucas Niang (67 snaps over the past two seasons) and rookie Kingsley Suamataia competing for the job. — Clay

This is accurate. Despithe best efforts of general manager Brett Veach, neither end of the offensive line has truly been been solid since right tackle Mitchell Schwartz and left tackle Eric Fisher were injured in the 2020 season. Could Taylor become the bookend the team expected him to be when he was signed a year ago? Who will ultimately become the team’s left tackle — and will they represent the future on Mahomes’ blind side? The Chiefs badly need to know.

X factor for 2024: Receivers Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy. The Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII with a major weakness at wide receiver, but don’t forget that this team struggled on offense for most of last season. Kansas City needed reinforcements at the position, and Brown and Worthy are it. Whether they can deliver remains to be seen; Brown is coming off a career-low season in terms of yards per route run and ESPN’s receiver tracking metrics, and Worthy is a rookie. Especially with Rashee Rice’s availability in question, whether Brown can rebound and Worthy can hit the ground running will determine which kind of Chiefs offense we get in 2024. — Walder

Walder may have hit this one right on the button. It’s fair to wonder if Brown can become an elite wideout — but if there’s a better way to find out than catching passes from Mahomes, I don’t know what it is. Just as with Rice in 2023, it may take a little while for Worthy to get his footing and become a reliable contributor — but the talent is there.

It’s also fair to wonder if the season’s biggest unknown will be with the league’s kickoff units. There is about to be a lot of confusion — if not outright bedlam — as teams try to figure out the best way to approach the league’s new kickoff rules. Kansas City special teams coordinator Dave Toub will likely be earning every dime of his 2024 salary.

Nonstarter to know: Linebacker Leo Chenal. Chenal is the third linebacker when the Chiefs go to a base defense. He was outstanding in Super Bowl LVIII, with a forced fumble and a blocked extra point. Chenal is very strong against the run, and his average run-game tackle last season came after a gain of just 2.3 yards. He also had 13 pressures when rushing the passer. His pass coverage is a problem, though. — Schatz

Chenal’s postseason performance was a likely factor in the team’s decision to move on from linebacker Willie Gay Jr., who ended up signing a one-year, $3 million deal with the New Orleans Saints. He will certainly be a player to watch this season.

Another will be rookie tight end Jared Wiley. Will the team immediately use him to help lessen the load for superstar Travis Kelce, or will it choose to bring him along more slowly? That answer will go a long way toward predicting what Kelce might do after 2024.