The Kansas City Chiefs impressed a lot of people with how they performed offensively during the 2022 season. Many wondered whether the team would be as explosive with Tyreek Hill no longer in the mix as he was traded to the Miami Dolphins. Those people were right; things did change but the Chiefs were even more dangerous.
Patrick Mahomes was outstanding once again, taking home his second MVP award. He completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns, both of which led the league.
While Hill was no longer part of the mix, Mahomes still had all-world tight end Travis Kelce as his go-to target. Behind him, a versatile mix of wide receivers filled different roles that kept the offense moving despite losing an All-Pro wide receiver.
This offseason, the front office will have their work cut out for themselves once again retooling the skill positions. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman and Justin Watson are all set to hit free agency.
They will work hard to bring back those players, but Kansas City wouldn’t be left barren, as Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney would still be on the depth chart. If it proves too costly to retain them, then the team will have to get creative when filling the void.
An intriguing option would be pairing another tight end with Kelce. That is what was suggested, as the Chiefs were predicted to land Evan Engram in free agency. The Jacksonville Jaguars took a flier on Engram with a one-year deal last offseason and it paid off big time.
After showcasing tantalizing potential with the New York Giants for five seasons, Engram finally put it all together for the Jaguars last year. He caught 73 passes for 766 yards and four touchdowns. The receptions and yardage were both career-highs for him.
If the team is unable to retain Smith-Schuster, Engram would make for a strong replacement as a slot receiver. While labeled as a tight end, he is at his best when flexed into the slot, not lined up as an in-line tight end. With Kelce capable of handling that, the Chiefs could unleash Engram strictly as a slot receiver and still be able to mix up personnel with him improving in other areas of the game.
We have seen what deploying dual tight ends with top-tier receiving ability can do to a defense as the New England Patriots have used that strategy to perfection in the past. Engram also should have an easier time adapting to the Chiefs offense as Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson is an Andy Reid disciple and uses some of the same schemes and concepts.
