4 free agents the Chiefs must sign to win Super Bowl 59
The Kansas City Chiefs persevered through an uncharacteristically arduous season, but in the end, the combination of Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and Steve Spagnuolo found a way, winning the Super Bowl for the third time together in unbelievably dramatic fashion.
Though the Chiefs have became the flagship team of the NFL since the crumbling of the Patriots dynasty, they've never looked more beatable than they did this year, and there are numerous positions on the depth chart that need addressing. Chiefs Kingdom can bask in the glow of this championship for a while, but with free agency just over a month away, Kansas City general manager Brett Veach has his work cut out for him as he looks to position this team to make yet another Super Bowl run.
The Chiefs have just under $24 million in salary cap money to spend, but they face difficult decisions on their own players before they can even begin to look at the rest of the league. Taking everything into account, here are four players they need to sign to give themselves the best chance to get back to football's biggest game.
4) Chiefs should add to their receiver group with Curtis Samuel
It's no secret that there was a real dearth of weapons in Kansas City this season. Rookie receiver Rashee Rice (say that five times fast) emerged to become Patrick Mahomes' favorite target, and although he's lost a step or two, Travis Kelce was still a reliable force in the middle of the field. Beyond that, though, the passing game was lacking.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling redeemed himself somewhat with a couple of big catches in the playoffs, but for much of the year he was a non-factor, tallying only 21 receptions for 315 yards and a touchdown while securing only 50% of his targets. Kadarius Toney wasn't any better, averaging only 6.3 yards per catch on his 27 grabs, and his 13.2% drop percentage was the worst number in the league.
It's clear that the Chiefs need help at wide receiver, but top targets like Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman, Jr. are likely to be either franchise-tagged or out of their price range. Kansas City will need to get creative then in finding a cost-effective playmaker, and Curtis Samuel fits the bill.
Samuel played last year under former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, and his versatile skill set will pair beautifully with Andy Reid's penchant for creative playcalling. Think of Samuel as an under-the-radar version of what Cordarrelle Patterson was for the Falcons a couple of years ago. He can line up in the backfield and take a handoff, he can work the sticks (nearly half of his 126 receptions the last two years went for first downs), and he can get behind the defense for big plays.
Samuel has always been the third option in the passing game, whether it was behind DJ Moore and Robbie Anderson in Carolina, or behind Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson in Washington. With Rice and Kelce in Kansas City, that would still be the case, but he's shown that even in a smaller role, he can be a big playmaker. Washington is undergoing a makeover, which makes it likely he'll be looking for a new home in 2024. The Chiefs would be an amazing fit.