4 obvious moves Kansas City Chiefs still have to make for Super Bowl 3-peat

Whether you want to call the Kansas City Chiefs a dynasty yet or not, at a bare minimum, Andy Reid's team is knocking on the door of that after back-to-back Super Bowl victories. And if they can follow that up with a vaunted and unprecedented 3-peat of winning the Lombardi Trophy, then there's no questioning the dynastic nature of Patrick Mahomes and Co.

But when it comes to the Chiefs or any contender, running it back exactly the same as before isn't going to help history be made. We've already seen that to some degree with Kansas City, most notably with the addition of speedy wide receiver Marquise Brown. But even with the L'Jarius Sneed situation hanging overhead, there are still more moves that can be made.

Specifically, there are four free agents still available who could help the Chiefs, come at a cost-effective price, and push Kansas City toward the historically elusive 3-peat as Super Bowl champs.

4. Chiefs signing RB J.K. Dobbins would upgrade the backfield

Isiah Pacheco, the running meme who doesn't actually bite people, has certainly been a revelation for the Chiefs offense. His hard-nosed running style and consistency at the running back position after entering the organization as a seventh-round pick have taken the attack to another level. But even at the same time, there are limitations with Pacheco.

While Pacheco has averaged an impressive 4.7 yards per carry over his first two seasons, he's not offered much in the way of the receiving game, though he did see a large increase from 14 to 49 targets from 2022 to 2023. Even still, there's a reason the Chiefs still had Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon in the fold, two players who thrive more in that role.

That's where someone like J.K. Dobbins could potentially come into play. The former Ravens running back has been devastated by injuries over the past three seasons. That is cause for concern for the Chiefs or any team pursuing him in free agency, but his talent and, more specifically for Kansas City, his receiving ability could still be valuable at a likely budget price on a one-year prove-it deal.

Dobbins could add an extra element to the Chiefs backfield, one that wouldn't replace Pacheco but rather supplement what the former seventh-rounder does. And with CEH all but gone now, they have a hole that could be easily filled with Dobbins on the cheap.

3. CB Xavien Howard could upgrade secondary or replace L'Jarius Sneed

We have to start with L'Jarius Sneed when we talk about the Chiefs secondary. Currently, the star corner is still with Kansas City after the franchise placed the franchise tag on him. However, there have been ongoing trade rumors centered around him with some expecting that he won't remain with the defending back-to-back champs.

Now, there is the possibility that Sneed returns but, in the interest of financial flexibility moving forward, the good chance that he does eventually get dealt remains. That could leave the Chiefs needing to find some help for up-and-coming star Trent McDuffie. And Xavien Howard would make a lot of sense, not only as a player, but with the type of player Brett Veach likes.

Howard's injuries have been an issues, but his ability to be a pure man-coverage cornerback when on the field has never been a question. Nor has his uncanny skill of forcing incompletions or creating turnovers. Steve Spagnuolo values both of those skills a great deal in his defenses, and Veach has long found value when others around the league see a diminished asset.

That could make Howard and the Chiefs a perfect marriage, and that may be true regardless of what happens with Sneed. But if Sneed is indeed traded, then the Howard signing needs to happen in Kansas City.

2. Tyler Boyd is a missing piece for the Chiefs WR corps

Adding Hollywood Brown to the mix is something the Chiefs direly needed. My refrain all offseason has been that Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid played the offense en route to this latest Super Bowl victory on expert mode with the shortcomings of the wide receiver room. But now having Brown and Rashee Rice entering year two along with Travis Kelce, things are trending upward.

Having said that, the wide receiver room isn't complete. In some form or fashion, it's likely the Chiefs part ways with Kadarius Toney at some point this offseason. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is gone. Skyy Moore hasn't panned out yet. Justin Watson is a fine player but nothing more. That could make someone like Tyler Boyd quite attractive.

Boyd is certain to be one of the more expensive free agent options on the table for the Chiefs, to be sure, but he could be worth it. His ability to work out of the slot and in the intermediate parts of the field could take attention from Brown, Rice and Kelce but also give another safety valve to Mahomes with reliability and, frankly, professionalism.

It's going to be a relatively busy market for Boyd, most likely, at this point of the offseason. But he could help the offense a great deal.

1. David Bakhtiari would be a rock for the Chiefs O-line

One of the big narratives for the Chiefs last offseason was how drastically they shook up the offensive line. Letting Orlando Brown Jr. walk only to bring in Jawaan Taylor with a move to the left side was shocking. It was then another risk to take on veteran Donovan Smith at the opposite starting tackle spot.

And as we all know -- and further playing to the idea of expert mode -- those moves were not home runs. Taylor struggled both in terms of drawing flags and as a blocker moving to the left side while Smith was average in his best moments. Now, Smith is a free agent again and Taylor returns, but with more questions.

Luckily, a former First-Team All-Pro and multi-time Pro Bowler in David Bakhtiari has been released by the Packers this offseason and intends to work to play (and more importantly be healthy for) the 2024 season. Staying on the field has been an obvious issue for him, which led to his departure from Green Bay, but his play when on the field hasn't faltered.

It would be a definitive risk at tackle again for the Chiefs, but it would also be a potential massive upgrade, one that could move Taylor back to his more natural right side and upgrade the bookend duo moving forward into another potential Super Bowl run.