Chris Jones and 2 other fatal flaws keeping Chiefs from Super Bowl repeat
By Scott Rogust
Chris Jones and 2 other fatal flaws that could keep Chiefs from Super Bowl repeat, No. 2: Wide receiver corps
The Kansas City Chiefs said, “No Tyreek Hill, no problem” following trading the star wide receiver to the Miami Dolphins after contract talks fell through. At first glance, you would think the Chiefs would be in trouble. Instead, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was more than fine throwing to the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Justin Watson, in addition to star tight end Travis Kelce. Mahomes led the league with 5,250 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, and 308.8 yards gained per game played ratio. As a result, Mahomes cruised to an NFL MVP award, the second of his career.
But this offseason, the wide receiver corps did take more of a hit, as Smith-Schuster walked and signed a three-year deal with the New England Patriots. Much to the chagrin of some Chiefs fans, the team was unable to bring in a big name to add to their wide receiver corps. Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the Baltimore Ravens, while DeAndre Hopkins never met with the Chiefs, instead signing a two-year deal with the Tennessee Titans.
So, the Chiefs are going to roll with a wide receiving corps headlined by Valdes-Scantling, Watson, second-year wide receiver Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, and Richie James.
Moore didn’t have many snaps on offense last year and scored his first touchdown in Super Bowl 57. James, meanwhile, put up pretty good numbers with the New York Giants in 2022 (57 receptions for 569 yards and four touchdowns). Toney was acquired by the Chiefs last season but has a long list of injuries during his short career, including a knee injury that required surgery at the start of training camp.
Sure, Mahomes can make anything work in the passing game. But when looking across the AFC there are much more stacked wide receiving corps, with the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins standing out. What are the Chiefs to do if one of their top receivers were to go down with an injury? That could be a major flaw for Kansas City this season.