Sammy Watkins makes Chiefs contenders again
The Kansas City Chiefs have ways to go defensively, but signing Sammy Watkins makes them a legitimate threat in the AFC race.
No team has been busier than the Kansas City Chiefs since the Super Bowl. Kansas City has traded away Alex Smith and Marcus Peters, signed David Amerson, acquired Kendall Fuller, and released Ron Parker, Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson.
The turnover has been swift and startling, especially for a team coming off its second consecutive AFC West title.
Yet for general manager Brett Veach, all of those moves were an apparent prelude to the spending spree he was planning in free agency. On Tuesday morning, Veach signed receiver Sammy Watkins to a three-year, $48 million deal with $30 million guaranteed. Then, the Chiefs began to fix their defensive woes by adding linebacker Anthony Hitchens on a five-year deal worth $45 million.
The top free agent receiver is off the market: The #Chiefs are planning to sign WR Sammy Watkins to a 3-year deal, sources say. KC’s offense lands a huge weapon.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2018
The #Chiefs are now adding a big weapon on defense: They plan to sign former #Cowboys LB Anthony Hitchens to a deal worth $9M per year, sources tell me and @TomPelissero.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2018
For some, the argument against Watkins is simple. Kansas City is paying an injury-plagued player $16 million per year to be its third weapon, with Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce being the top two targets. However, Watkins is 24 years old, and he opens up all kinds of options for second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
With Watkins on the outside opposite Hill, opponents will have to make a choice. They can either play single-high safety and hope that man-to-man coverage holds up, or play two safeties deep. The former presents obvious issues, while the latter opens avenues for Kareem Hunt, the league’s leading rusher from a year ago.
Kansas City is clearly trying to set up an explosive offensive attack around Mahomes, helping the future of the franchise to assimilate into the starting role.
If Watkins can stay healthy — and he did last year — the Chiefs won’t need him to rack up 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns to be worth the money. His presence is part of the value, opening up the field for Hunt, Kelce and Hill on an every-down basis.
Watkins also brings significant value in the red zone, using his 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame to shield defenders off the ball. Between him and Kelce, Kansas City shouldn’t have an issue converting inside the 20-yard line. Last year, the Chiefs ranked 29th in red zone efficiency, only better than the Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos.
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All that said, the defense must improve beyond the addition of Hitchens. Kansas City has to add talent on both the defensive line and secondary, but the offense should make the Chiefs frontrunners for another division crown.
From there, Kansas City still must topple the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers, something which remains a tall order. Still, the Chiefs have put themselves in a position to threaten come January, something they couldn’t say 48 hours ago.