Kansas City Chiefs: Projecting the Starting 11 on Offense
Sep 29, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) and the offense huddle up during the first half of the game against the New York Giants at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 31-7. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Last season, the Kansas City Chiefs averaged only 318.8 yards per game, which was the eighth lowest total in the entire NFL. Despite having one of the most dynamic talents at the running back position in the entire league in Jamaal Charles, and a tight end with freak athletic ability in Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ offense showed little to no explosiveness all season long.
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The offensive line struggled to find consistency, and the wide receivers simply could not get open. Charles and Kelce were the only legitimate options for quarterback Alex Smith in the passing game, and he could only find them in the rare times he wasn’t running for his life from the pass rush.
Smith has gotten a reputation in recent years of being a game manager who cannot take over the game himself. Sure, Smith may take the check down option a few too many times, but his teammates have not helped him make plays downfield. I am not saying he is a gunslinger, but Smith has underrated raw talent and upside at the quarterback position, and he could emerge into an impressive option if surrounded with the right talent.
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Albeit cautiously, I am a bit optimistic that the Chiefs will have a more explosive offense in 2015. Charles is back as the steady force with huge big-play potential, Kelce appears ready to emerge as an elite NFL tight end and the receiving corps, led by free agent addition Jeremy Maclin, has a lot more upside than they showed last season.
The offensive line is still a question mark, but the Chiefs have found some nice depth up front. Out of all of their choices, I think they can find a solid five to build around on the offensive line.
The addition of Maclin will be huge for this offense that has struggled to stretch the field in recent years. He not only gives Smith a legitimate number one option on the outside, Maclin is an established deep threat who can stretch the field himself.
They will need certain players to step up and play better than last season, but the Chiefs seem to be in a position to succeed offensively more than they did last season.
They have a lot of depth across the board, which is always nice. However, it makes for some difficult decisions on who to start.
Aside from Smith Charles, Kelce and Maclin, every offensive position is seemingly up for grabs for the Chiefs. It will be interesting to see who steps up and claims those jobs for the taking.
Here are my predictions to be the starting offensive 11 for the Chiefs when they open the regular season against the Houston Texans.
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