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NFL Division-by-Division Rankings After First Week of 2024 Free Agency | Bleacher Report
5. AFC West
As great as the Kansas City Chiefs are—it would be tough to argue they deserve to be anywhere aside from No. 1 on any power rankings list after winning back-to-back Super Bowls—the AFC West still doesn’t come close to being the league’s strongest division.
The Chiefs were the only AFC West squad to reach the playoffs last year and even they struggled at times during the regular season. The team’s 11-6 finish was its worst since Patrick Mahomes began starting, but the front office’s ability to retain most of their key free agents in addition to signing Marquise Brown should ensure the Chiefs once again post one of the league’s best records.
Expect the Los Angeles Chargers to vastly improve upon their pitiful 2023 showing. On paper, they are the second-best AFC West squad, especially after the franchise finally rid itself of head coach Brandon Staley and replaced him with Jim Harbaugh. If Harbaugh can get Justin Herbert’s career back on track and lift this offense to new heights, it can be one of the tougher teams to topple.
Both the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders appear to be in states of transition and aren’t likely to be much of a factor.
The Broncos finally decided to wash their hands clean of the ill-fated Russell Wilson trade and contract extension, but the sheer size of the quarterback’s dead cap hit will make it difficult for Denver to field a contending roster this year. The team focused on retaining its own free agents and only made minor moves on the open market.
The Raiders finished the 2023 campaign strong under interim head coach Antonio Pierce, but it remains to be seen if he has enough firepower to finish above .500 in his first full season on the job. Signing Christian Wilkins to a blockbuster contract will help, but even the elite defensive tackle won’t be enough to make Vegas a consistent force
Chiefs’ Early Report Card for Most Impactful Offseason Decisions | | Bleacher Report
Re-Signing Drue Tranquill
The Chiefs bought low on Drue Tranquill last season and were rewarded for the risk with 78 tackles and 4.5 sacks out of the linebacker.
Tranquill inked a three-year, $19 million deal to stay with the Chiefs in what should go down as a shrewd piece of business.
Kansas City could not splash out a ton of cash once it landed Jones because of his new deal and Mahomes’ massive contract.
Tranquill was not one of the top free-agent linebackers, but he has had at least 75 tackles in each of the four full seasons he played.
The Chiefs retained Tranquill at a reasonable price within their budget restrictions and at a price that rewarded the player for his consistency last season.
it is a solid piece of business for both parties, and while Tranquill will not be one of the top guys most analysts point out on the Kansas City defense, he is a valuable piece to the team’s success on that side of the ball.
Grade: A
Five Things to Know About New Chiefs WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown | The Mothership
4. Brown has shown an ability to create big plays after the catch.
One of the first things that jumps out about Brown is his obvious speed, as evidenced by his 4.27-second 40-yard dash at Oklahoma’s Pro Day back in 2019, but the former high school track star – while certainly a viable deep threat – is more than just a straight-line speedster.
In fact, during his 1,000-yard campaign in 2021, 69 of Brown’s 91 catches took place no further than nine yards beyond the line of scrimmage, and on those receptions, Brown recorded 310 yards after-the-catch. At the same time, Brown hauled in four touchdowns on throws of 20+ yards during that year.
It’s all to say that Brown should provide Head Coach Andy Reid with a versatile weapon capable of creating big plays in a variety of ways. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the folks at Pro Football Focus gave the move an A+.
Three-Round 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Vikings trade up for QB J.J. McCarthy | PFF
32. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: T TYLER GUYTON, OKLAHOMA
The Chiefs will have plenty of options at the back end of the first round, but if Guyton is available, I like the idea of drafting him to develop him as a good depth player if they need him and a potential starter in 2025 and beyond. Guyton is a smooth mover and a very competitive player but needs time to become a more fundamentally sound blocker.
NFL Mock Draft 2024: Latest Predictions After First Week of Free Agency | The 33rd Team
32. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
TYLER GUYTON, OT, OKLAHOMA
Height: 6-foot-8
Weight: 322 pounds
Class: Junior
Fit: Tyler Guyton has all the physical tools to be a star tackle in the NFL, but his footwork and hand placement need a lot of work. The Kansas City Chiefs could be the perfect landing spot for him, as he is a much better pass blocker than a run blocker at this stage of his development.
Round 1 – Pick 32
Keon Coleman WR
FLORIDA STATE • JR • 6’4” / 215 LBS
Yes, Coleman ran a 4.61 at the combine but I do not care. At all. He also hit more than 20 mph in the gauntlet drill and didn’t drop a pass. We talk about the importance of game speed all the time and the only more obvious example might be Puka Nacua, who ran a 4.57 at the 2023 combine only to have a record-setting rookie campaign for the Rams. In KC he can be eased into the offense alongside Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown.
Around the NFL
The San Francisco 49ers will forfeit their original fifth-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft and will have their 2024 fourth-round selection moved four spots down behind compensatory picks due to an administrative payroll accounting error, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Monday, per a source.
A league review found errors at the close of the 2022 league year, leading to action by the NFL that will effect the club’s next two drafts.
In this year’s draft, the 49ers’ original fourth-round pick at No. 131 will now move to No. 135.
Judging overreactions to 2024 NFL free agency deals, trades | ESPN
Derrick Henry will put the Ravens over the top and into the Super Bowl
Baltimore made a big splash with the signing of Henry, the powerful former Titans running back who rushed for 12 touchdowns in 2023. The run-game threat of quarterback Lamar Jackson combined with the might of Henry looks like a terrifying combination for opposing defenses. The Ravens went right to the precipice of the Super Bowl this past season, earning the top seed in the AFC and losing in the conference title game to the Chiefs. But this seems like a move that could make the difference if they find themselves in that AFC Championship Game again this coming season.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
Saints expected to sign pass rusher Chase Young | NFL.com
The former No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 draft is expected to sign a one-year, $13 million deal with the New Orleans Saints, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday. The entire $13 million is guaranteed, per Rapoport.
Young spent the back half of the 2023 season with the San Francisco 49ers, who acquired him via trade with the Washington Commanders at the deadline in a deal that amounted to a rental for the NFC heavyweight. The return on the deal wasn’t great, but was good enough to help the 49ers win the conference title and reach Super Bowl LVIII, where they fell in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs Free Agency: Hollywood Brown will work with Mahomes ‘this week’
“I was really leaving it up to my agent,” revealed Brown. “Kansas City was a place that I told him that I wanted to be — if that was the opportunity — and it kind of just unfolded. I let him do his job — and God made it happen.”
The sixth-year NFL veteran feels that joining the Chiefs is something that’s been on his horizon for quite a while.
“I thought I was going to get drafted by the Chiefs when I was coming out,” remembered Brown, whom the Baltimore Ravens selected in the first round (25th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. “We’ve talked about that since I’ve been here. They did a lot of work on me [during] the pre-draft. So the world’s got a way of having things come around like that.”
But he said that joining the Chiefs wasn’t only about fulfilling that draft destiny. Having the opportunity to play with quarterback Patrick Mahomes — and for head coach Andy Reid — were additional factors.