The Kansas City Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in four years to conclude the 2022 season. If they want to repeat as champions, there is a good amount of work for them to do this offseason.
Offensively, as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center, the team is in good hands. Even with an injured ankle Mahomes was able to carve teams up in the postseason. Kansas City will be on the lookout for some weapons as wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman and Justin Watson and running back Jerrick McKinnon are all set to be free agents.
If 2022 showed us anything about the Chiefs, it is that no matter who is plugged into the skill positions around Mahomes, they will succeed. Catching passes from Mahomes is a huge selling point, so a lot of their focus this offseason could be on the defensive side of the ball.
Frank Clark was a cap casualty as the Chiefs needed to clear cap space and the two sides could not agree on a restructure. Carlos Dunlap is also hitting free agency, leaving Kansas City thin on pass rushers.
George Karlaftis, heading into Year 2, will certainly see his role expand. Looking to add another pass rusher to the mix, Marcus Davenport would be a great fit in free agency for the Chiefs.
Davenport’s market may not be too robust given the fact that he is coming off of a season with only 0.5 sacks. Health has always been a concern for him as well, as 2022 was the first time in his career he played more than 13 games in a season.
But, given his draft pedigree as a first-round pick in 2018 by the New Orleans Saints, teams will take a shot on him. Also, when taking a deeper dive into his production, some positive regression could be on the horizon. He did register 25 hurries and 22 hits during the 2022 season, so he is creating some pressure and just missing the sack.
Davenport is the exact kind of player that the Chiefs should be targeting in free agency. The talent is there and a bounceback could certainly occur. He is only one season removed from a career-high 9.0 sack season, so Kansas City could be hoping to catch some lightning in a bottle to replace the production of veterans Clark and Dunlap.
