Kansas City Chiefs: Monday Mailbag 3/4/19

Here we are for our second edition of our Chiefs Monday Mailbag and we have once again received a ton of great questions from you, the fans! We have some recent news that Eric Berry will not be having surgery this offseason, but should be ready for all offseason activities. Also, we heard that Travis Kelce, unlike Eric, underwent surgery to repair an injury to his ankle and Travis should be ready to go by training camp. The last piece of news we received was that the Chiefs have put the franchise tag on Dee Ford, but are listening to trade offers. With all that news out of the way, let’s not waste anymore time and delve into all your pressing questions.

First Round Draft Pick

I don’t believe that Deandre Baker will still be available at pick 29 for the Chiefs, but if he is they should get that card in as fast as possible, maybe have Tyreek Hill run that card up to the commissioner. I think the Chiefs will have an opportunity to snag one of these four secondary players and should seriously consider pulling the trigger on one of them:

S Deionte Thompson, Alabama – Very athletic and the leader of that Alabama secondary last season that played in the National Championship game.

S Nasir Adderly, Delaware – Raw, but athletic and can cover sideline to sideline. Also, Brett Veach went to Delaware.

CB Byron Murphy, Washington – Slight, but a willing tackler and athletic. Also, Marcus Peters went to Washington.

CB Trayvon Mullen, Clemson – Great physical traits and upside. Member of the National Champion Clemson Tigers and intercepted Tua Tagovailoa in that game.

Thanks for the question Jimmy! Do you all think Deandre will last til the 29th pick or do you like someone I listed or a different option at pick 29? Comment below and let us know your thoughts!

Mahomes Mania Overexposure

I recently saw something about Patrick Mahomes saying he believes the best pizza is Pizza Hut. Is this just him sharing his thoughts? Or is this a carefully constructed maneuver by him and his agent, Leigh Steinberg, to make him the new spokesman for the Pizza giant? I guess time will tell, but there is reason to worry about Patrick being overexposed here by having his hand in too many cookie jars. As to your other point, I think every fan wants this team to reach the Super Bowl and win especially with the talent on this roster and how close the Chiefs appear to be. However, I can also see Patrick being the face of the league, in every commercial imaginable, winning MVP’s, making crazy plays in Pro Bowls and fans seemingly being okay with that. Yes, they want the team to win the Super Bowl, but the casual fan will enjoy the ride win or lose as long as they see “their man” everywhere they look, even if it’s not in a Super Bowl.

Great question Clint! Do you all think I’m overreacting and there is no danger of overexposure? Would you be fine with the Chiefs not winning the Super Bowl as long as Patrick is having personal success? Let us know in the comments below!

Andy Reid’s Playoff Record Requires Pepto Bismol

I do think more Chiefs fans should be concerned with this record, especially after last season where I think we were hoping he would realize he needed to be more aggressive on offense. 4th and manageable on your own 40 or better you have to go for that when you have Patrick Mahomes and conversely a putrid defense going up against the best to ever to do it at the quarterback position. Andy tends to play games conventionally which is fine if your defense is even middle of the road, but when they are that bad you have to think outside the box and become unconventional. Hopefully, with Steve Spagnuolo taking over the defensive reigns and some strategic additions this offseason, our defense can get into that middle tier. If that can happen then Andy can play his conventional style and the offense teamed with an average defense will be too much for any opponent to overcome. Having said all of this, they were one Dee Ford neutral zone infraction away from being in the Super Bowl. Football really is a game of inches.

Great question as always Shane, thanks! Are you all concerned about his record in conference championship games? Let us know in the comments section below!

Cut one, Sign one, Trade one: Berry, Houston, Ford

Cut one: Eric Berry – If I have to cut one of the three players you gave as options, my choice without question is Eric Berry. I never dreamed I’d say that when the Chiefs drafted him 5th overall. I thought it would be a given that he was going to be the next Troy Polamalu or Ed Reed. His career has been mired in injury, illness, and underachieving when talking about his potential as a player. Now, Eric has been a strong leader in the locker room and for one year he was one of if not the best safeties in all of football in 2016. This past season soured most of Chiefs Kingdom on Eric with the lack of information, hearing Andy Reid step up to the podium each week telling the media Eric is “day to day” and the look on Eric’s face on the sidelines like he would rather be anywhere else, but here. I have no clue whether Eric’s career is over, but I do know it cannot continue here in Kansas City. If Eric passes his physical the Chiefs can designate him a post June 1st cut and that along with a trade of Justin Houston would give the Chiefs around 50 million dollars in salary cap space.

Sign one: Dee Ford – The Chiefs have already designated the Franchise Tag on Dee Ford, but reports are saying that they are still listening to trade offers for him. I for one, am for trading Dee Ford when you look at all the options. If Dee Ford stays and is the difference in us winning the Super Bowl that’s the only way franchising him makes sense. If we franchise Dee and don’t win the Super Bowl then we have two options. If Dee has another good season we will be giving him a mega-deal which we are 0 for 2 on with Houston and Berry. If Dee doesn’t repeat his performance from last season then we are letting him walk for nothing in return. Dee’s stock has never been higher and I think it’s wise for the Chiefs to listen to trade offers and if one strikes their fancy I wouldn’t hesitate on making the deal.

Trade one: Justin Houston – I’m actually for keeping Justin if he would restructure his contract, but early rumblings are he’s not really excited about that thought. So, in that case there’s really only two options left which are trading him or releasing him. He’s still a very good player and I think has some trade value to a team that doesn’t want to compete with other teams for his services on the open market. Losing our two biggest leaders on this team in Justin and Eric isn’t what you’re looking for, but since signing them to their gigantic contracts they have both been disappoints as far as play on the field.

Thanks for the question David! Love the cut one, sign one, trade one game and this was a difficult task for sure. What do you all think? Who would you cut, sign, and trade? Comment with your responses below!

Addition of an Offensive Weapon

Conflicting reports have been coming out about the Chiefs looking to add another serious weapon on offense. Le’Veon Bell is one name that has been specifically floating around which is interesting to think about, but at the end of the day just doesn’t appear likely to happen. I believe the Chiefs have expressed interest and are investigating all possibilities to improve every position group. The Chiefs could sure use another stud running back or wide receiver seeing as how this is most likely Sammy Watkins last year with the team. Sammy has two years left on his deal, but the Chiefs can get out from that third year for nothing by cutting him after the 2019 season. I’m not sure as to who they would be targeting as another big offensive weapon other than Le’Veon Bell, who makes a ton of sense skills wise as a running back who can also catch the ball out of the backfield with the best of them. Damien Williams was a nice find and really helped the Chiefs down the stretch by holding down the fort, so to say, at the position. However, do I think Damien is a real weapon for this offense as its starting running back all season long? No! Kareem Hunt was a different animal out of the backfield with his mix of balance, power and speed as well as being able to catch the football down the field or in the screen game. I’m all for fixing the defense and spending most of our free agency dollars and draft picks on that side of the ball, but I’d also love to see the Chiefs add more competition at running back, tight end, and wide receiver to keep this offense potent.

Chiefs All-Time Leading Rusher

Jamaal Charles is the Chiefs all-time leading rusher with 7,260 rushing yards over his 9 years as a Chief and averaged a whopping 5.6 yards per carry!

Thanks for the question Margie! Plus, it gave us a reason to watch this great video of Jamaal’s career! What’s your favorite Jamaal Charles memory? Comment below to let us know!

Extend the Regular Season

There have been talks in recent years in shortening the preseason to two games and adding those games to the regular season. That would give us 18 regular season games. I think we may get there some day, but I’d say it’s still a ways away. I know I wish the season was longer as it is so tough waiting for football season to kickoff again!

Thanks for the great questions Lana! Are you all having football withdrawals too? How do you cope and make it through the offseason? Comment below to give us some pointers!

Middle Linebacker in the Draft

Late last season the Chiefs also had concern for the position and signed former Washington Redskins linebacker Martrell Spaight to a future contract. He will be in the mix this offseason to add to the Chiefs depth at the position. Also, with the Chiefs moving to the 4-3 Anthony Hitchens will be playing the middle linebacker spot which is what he played in Dallas. Last season he had his worst year as a pro, but was playing in a complex 3-4 defense and was simply put, lost. Steve Spagnuolo comes in to simply the scheme and Anthony will be back in the 4-3 where he was one of the best up and coming middle linebackers in the game.

Great question Rick! Thanks! What do you all think about the MLB position and what the Chiefs should do?

Iowa Hawkeyes TE Noah Fant

Even though news recently broke about Travis Kelce having surgery and my disdain for Demetrius Harris who makes too many mental mistakes along with dropping the football, I don’t see the Chiefs going offense in the first round. The needs on defense are too deep and too vital to this teams success for them to take a luxury pick on a 2nd tight end. Now, I do agree the Chiefs need to add some weapons to keep this offense potent and ahead of the defensive coordinators coming up with new ways to stop them. The Chiefs do need a better running back, 2nd TE, and slot WR in my opinion which I think they can address some of those in free agency. They can also address one of those positions with one of their 2 second round picks as well as deeper in the draft.

Thank you for the question Craig! What do you all think about Noah Fant who had a great performance at the NFL combine? Can the Chiefs really afford to take an offensive player in the first round? Let us know in the comments section below!

That’s it for another great edition of our Chiefs Monday Mailbag! Thank you all so much for the questions as this literally wouldn’t be possible without you! I hope I’ve sufficiently answered all your questions and this gives a good outlet to discuss the Chiefs during the offseason. Until next time, go Chiefs and take care of yourself and each other!