Kansas City Chiefs: 5 offseason needs

The Kansas City Chiefs have some moves to make if they want to stay atop the AFC West. Here are five offseason needs for the 2017 season.

The 2016 NFL season was a good one for the Kansas City Chiefs, who finished the season atop the AFC West. The Chiefs head into the offseason fresh off an upset loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Round, losing a home game at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City took a big step forward in 2016, but will need a strong offseason if they hope to keep moving in that direction.

With eyes on the 2017 NFL Draft in two months, lets look at five offseason priorities for the Kansas City Chiefs prior to the season.

5. Bolster their defensive front

The Chiefs had one of the better defenses in the AFC this past season, showing great depth all over the roster. While the Chiefs have been building to make that side of the ball a strength, they will need to add to their roster if they hope to keep it that way. The defensive front needs some help, and it have to be one of the Chiefs bigger priorities as they look to repeat as champions of the AFC West.

Last season, Dontari Poe emerged as one of the better nose tackles in the NFL. Poe was a vocal leader of the Chiefs, who were able to lock up the No. 2 seed in the AFC Playoffs. Heading into the free agency period, Poe is a free agent, and the team needs to decide whether or not they are going to use their franchise tag on him. He is an unrestricted free agent, and he is due for a big payday.

At defensive end, the Chiefs also need to make a decision on whether or not to bring back Kendall Reyes and Jarvis Jenkins. There may be wholesale changes up and down the line, though the team should definitely make a play to bring Poe back into the fray. Having a solid defensive front is going to be huge next season in a very tough AFC West, and the Chiefs should have the resources to make it a strength in 2017.