on monday, ESPN Author Bill Barnwell He issued his annual ranking of offensive weaponswhich takes the quarterback and instead looks at each team’s combination of wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs.
According to Barnwell, the Kansas City Chiefs dropped from No. 16 for the 2022 season to No. 19 for this year’s team. When they still had wide receiver Tyreek Hill (2021), he was ranked sixth in the NFL.
the San Francisco 49ersAnd Cincinnati Bengals And Philadelphia Eagles ranked first to third, respectively, with Los Angeles Chargers in No. 5, Las Vegas Raiders At No. 11 f Denver Broncos at No. 24.
In this post, I’ll react with some thoughts on Barnwell’s remarks about bosses.
No. 19: Kansas City Chiefs
Barnwell: Here are the latest teams built around one superstar, because he’s the best of the bunch. Travis Kelce benefits from playing Patrick Mahomes, but anyone who’s played a casual interest in the Chiefs over the past few seasons has seen Kelce routinely open himself up and create after the catch on a weekly basis. I rate him the second best tight end of all time, and after becoming the first tight end in 50 years to top 1,000 yards in his 33-year-old season, he can’t seem to slow down.
Many are wondering about ‘life after Kielce’ – and for good reason. There is simply no one like him in the league. Fortunately for the Chiefs, the future Pro Football Hall of Fame said he’s not considering retirement anytime soon, and just so happens to play a position where, historically, strong production can be maintained as players progress into their mid-30s. Barnwell does not mention Noah Gray or Jodi Fortson in this piece, which could end up being an error. I’m inclined to think that Gray and Fortune are hiding in plain sight from a patriot, thanks to Kelsey’s prominent shadow.
Barnwell: The Chiefs also found an upgrade in running back last year in Isiah Pacheco, which gave them the strength they needed to challenge teams that tried to match them with lightboxes. Jerick McKinnon also stepped up as a receiver and became an unlikely threat near the red zone, more than doubling his career totals by putting up nine touchdowns. McKinnon’s knees will likely restrict his turn of pace, but his partnership with Pacheco is a huge improvement on Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s limp technique.
Pacheco comes a little under-appreciated on this pitch, reaching nearly 1,000 rushing yards (830) after not earning the starting role until about Week 7. He added another 197 yards in the playoffs, and there is a developing side to his story regarding the passing game. Jerick McKinnon back in the fold and a healthy Clyde Edwards-Helaire are good things, and I think rookie non-designer Deneric Prince has a role as well. I’m not sure Pacheco rivals any of the remaining real cows in the league – like Derek Henry or Saquon Barkley – but I think the boss is one of the higher-rising committees. With Pacheco entering his first full year as a starter, people probably won’t realize it until next year’s release.
Barnwell: So why did the Chiefs drop to 16th? The wide receiver depth chart is more graphic. The highest rated at the moment is Kadarius Toney, who has played 70% or more offensive snaps exactly once in two NFL seasons. Sky Moore, last year’s runner-up, failed to make an impact before scoring a touchdown in the power. While the Chiefs added another wide in the second round in Rashee Rice, they lost two regulars in JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman.
Of course, Mahomes would do well with one of the worst wide depth depth charts in the league, given that he just won the MVP award with a slightly better set up a year ago. Outside of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, this is a young group, and there’s a chance Toney, Moore, or even Justyn Ross could emerge as the No. 1 receiver. As long as Kelsey is Kelsey, the Chiefs will be fine. If he’s running back or has an injury, or if they don’t have Mahomes to lead the orchestra for any length of time, this is going to look like an underwhelming group of wide receivers.
This criticism is fair from Barnwell, especially when it comes to Tony. I believe the team when they say Toney could be the #1 wide receiver in the NFL (we’ve seen flashes when he feels right). What also helps with the Chiefs’ guns as a whole is that “No. One wide receiver” really means “No. Two choice” in Kansas City, at least until Kelce finally decides to stop him. Like Barnwell, I’m less convinced that Tony can stay on the field for a full season.
Others will need to progress in games where Toney is not active. Look no further than the second half of the Super Bowl to see how important a reliable goal post Kelce as JuJu Smith-Schuster is to Mahomes. If not Tony, then who could it be? I see Moore taking an important step forward this year – and it’s almost as if Mahomes and coach Andy Reid are doing it, too. Given Tony’s injury history, I’ve said in these pages that I love Moore’s chances of breaking into a 1,000-yard season.
With no proven weapon other than Kelsey, Marquez Valdez-Scantling’s second season in Kansas City will be significant. Justin Watson and Richie James provide the Chiefs with a measure of security, considering they’ve previously produced NFL players. It’s early days, but I feel like Rice will be a bigger factor in 2024 than it will be in 2023. Justin Ross’ buzz seems to have made it to Barnwell, but I’m still not convinced he makes the 53-man roster.
bottom line
Hitting the wide receiver position from Barnwell is reasonable, and when you take Mahomes out of the equation, the fact that it’s a room with so many uncertain commodities means the Chiefs have to be in the mid-league ballpark in these rankings.
But for me, they’re closer to last year’s ranking of 16th or even 15th than the bottom 20.
Regardless, this (clearly) just ratings.
As Barnwell was sure to state, Mahomes just won MVP honors, having moved from a receiver with 1,700 yards. When the Chiefs face injuries, Reid pulls magic from his playbook to put active players in a position to win.
Hey, bosses are probably 19 when it comes to assault weapons; As of Monday, they are He still favored winning a second straight Super Bowl.
Do you agree with Barnwell? Why and why not? Let us know in the comments below.