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Chris Jones is unlikely to receive the franchise tag as per Adam Schefter
Due to his 2023 cap number, Chiefs DL Chris Jones’ projected franchise tag would be $32 million – instead of the regular $19.7M – making him an unlikely tag candidate. https://t.co/0bLVyZZgsm
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 18, 2024
NFL overhaul tiers: All 32 teams from contenders to rebuilds | ESPN
Kansas City Chiefs (11-6)
Average age of roster: 26.7
Salary cap space: $14.3 million
Total 2024 draft picks (projected): 6
What’s next: The Chiefs have shown they can win a championship during a “down” season, setting a tone that anything is possible over the next 3 to 5 years. In the short term, the Chiefs still have work to do at wide receiver, adding a presence alongside Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice. Re-signing free agents Chris Jones and L’Jarius Sneed seems ambitious, so Kansas City should prioritize one and go from there. Because the entire pass rush is built around Jones, let’s start there. Declining Kadarius Toney’s fifth-year option seems like a given. And offensive tackle help should be on the way. Free agent Tyron Smith makes a lot of sense on the left side.
8. Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed
The two-time Super Bowl champion quickly went from promising slot prospect to Pro Bowl-caliber perimeter man in Kansas City, bringing consistent physicality to the Chiefs’ title-winning defense in 2023. He’s benefited from a strong supporting cast, sure, but he’s also proven more than capable of shadowing elite weapons in big spots.
Patrick Mahomes’ success without Tyreek Hill points to his greatness | Give Me Sport
In terms of overall statistics, Mahomes had his worst year as a pro during the 2023 regular season, although he was pretty darn good with 4,183 yards and 27 touchdowns.
However, he simply goes to another level when it comes to the postseason. Mahomes has played seven playoff games without Hill over the last two seasons and has performed beautifully, completing 70.7% of his passes for 1,754 yards with 13 touchdowns and only one interception.
Many wondered how Mahomes would make do without having Hill dominating defensive backs and opening things up for the rest of the offense. However, the three-time Super Bowl MVP has shown that he can adjust to even severe changes in his offensive skill position players.
NFL QB Index: Ranking all 66 starting quarterbacks from the 2023 NFL season | NFL.com
3 – Patrick Mahomes
Kansas City Chiefs · Year 7
2023 stats: 20 games | 67.7 pct | 5,234 pass yds | 7.0 ypa | 33 pass TD | 15 INT | 530 rush yds | 0 rush TD | 7 fumbles
2022 final ranking: 1 | 2021: 7 | 2020: 3 | 2019: 2 | 2018: 1 | 2017: N/A
Mahomes ended the regular season just barely cracking the top 10 after a campaign in which Kansas City’s lack of elite talent at receiver became a glaring issue. Because of this, Mahomes labored through most of 2023, never truly threatening to win MVP and finishing with his second-fewest passing yards of his career. But the all-world quarterback’s rare beauty returned in the playoffs, where he and the Chiefs put together a strong showing in a wild-card win over Miami, defeated Josh Allen’s Bills in the Divisional Round, and rode a bag full of first-half feats to an upset win over the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game. Per usual, Mahomes saved his best for last, leading a couple of crucial scoring drives in Super Bowl LVIII that required him to pick up first downs in essential spots to preserve the Chiefs’ chances of victory. When he threw his game-winning touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman, we found ourselves in a familiar place: With our jaws on the floor, thanks to the magic of Mahomes.
2023 NFL rookie grades: Ranking the classes, 1 to 32 | NFL.com
11. Chiefs
REUTER: The Chiefs hoped Anudike-Uzomah would offer a boost in pass-rush situations this season, giving him significant snaps off the bench early in the year. He was used sparingly in the second half of the year, though, until the regular-season finale (when the team rested its starters), and he was inactive in the postseason until recording a tackle for loss on one of his seven snaps in Super Bowl LVIII.
Rice became the team’s No. 2 option in the passing game as a rookie, paying off general manager Brett Veach’s move to select the former SMU star in the second round. He really turned on the juice in the final two months of the season, finishing with seven touchdowns during the regular season to beat out star tight end Travis Kelce for the team lead. The Chiefs picked Morris to provide depth at tackle, which they needed when Donovan Smith went out due to injury. Morris struggled in pass protection at times, as most rookies do, but he kept things rolling for the Chiefs before suffering a concussion in Week 18. He’ll get a chance to show in 2024 whether he’s a future starter or swing tackle.
Around the NFL
WR Nelson Agholor returning to Ravens on 1-year extension | ESPN
Terms of the deal were not announced.
Agholor’s contract would have voided by Monday at 4 p.m. ET, and he would have counted $1.668 million in dead money in 2024.
Agholor, 30, caught 35 passes for 381 yards, which ranked fifth on the Ravens in his first season in Baltimore. He added four touchdowns.
Amid a weekend that included winning MVP of the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, the three-time Pro Bowler delved further into the type of player the Cowboys lacked, touched on his own contract status and evaluated Tony Pollard’s place as an RB1.
“I would say toward the end of the season Tony Pollard was catching his rhythm again,” Parsons said on The Stephen A. Smith Show. “I do think he’s an every-down guy. You’ve got to think, he broke his fibula, tibia, something, that’s a catastrophic injury. You’re talking about a guy that’s really been off from that January, came back Week 1 but he didn’t really do a lot. It takes a while to get back into football. He didn’t do OTAs. He didn’t do minicamp. He kind of did camp a little bit like working through it, getting back into it. You saw him increase, like he even said, ‘I’m just now getting back to myself.’ I would give Tony Pollard another shot.”
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Super Bowl LVIII Chiefs-49ers: 3 ways KC’s defense made the difference
Disruption on first down
The run defense was about bending, not breaking — but the Chiefs needed to create significantly negative plays to mix in. It’s the same story from matchups with the Miami Dolphins this season: blow up a play on first down, then take advantage of a more predictable offense playing from behind the sticks.
The Chiefs’ primary disruptor on first downs was linebacker Leo Chenal, despite only playing 36% of the defensive snaps. On the 49ers’ first possession, Chenal made the unit’s initial big play by prying out the ball from McCaffrey’s hands on a first-down carry.
#Chiefs LB Leo Chenal played a key role in blowing up 1st down plays. All 3 of these plays led to stalled drives
Playing only a third of KC’s snaps, Chenal produced 6 tackles (1 for loss), 1 QB Hit and forced the opening drive fumble pic.twitter.com/tESZgZYUkZ
— Ron Kopp Jr. (@Ron_Kopp) February 13, 2024
On many first downs, Chenal is used as an attacker — whether that means he blitzes, or blows up a play to the sideline as an edge setter. He has the athleticism to make the most of a pass-rush snap, but also the strength to hold his own against strong blockers: Tight end George Kittle had trouble consistently paving a path for outside runs due to Chenal.