The offense for the Kansas City Chiefs is going to look a little bit different in 2022 than it has in years past. Tyreek Hill is no longer with the team, as he was traded to the Miami Dolphins earlier this offseason.
In addition to Hill, the team also saw depth at the position in Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle, who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears as free agents. Robinson has since been released by the Raiders, but signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
In their place, the Chiefs signed JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency and selected Skyy Moore in the 2022 NFL Draft. It will take a team effort to replace Hill’s production and those three will be part of the group tasked with doing so.
Along with them, all-world tight end Travis Kelce will also be relied upon. Kelce is one of the best tight ends in NFL history and could assume a bigger role in the offense in 2022. While the weapons are changing, as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center, this is a unit that should thrive.
Kelce was very complimentary of Mahomes recently, touching on his development and maturation. That is a big reason for the Chiefs’ growth on offense according to Kelce.
“Oh, without a doubt. It’s the whole offense in general,” Kelce said. “You put a lot more accountability on the O-line for being together for a whole ‘mother year, having that much chemistry together. And then on top of that, what Pat’s able to do is keep developing. He keeps finding ways to get better as a quarterback. And that, by far, is what’s made this offense take off and go into more of a passing offense than what we’ve had in the past.”
Kelce was also asked if there is more Mahomes can do now than earlier in his career. It was a question that he did have some difficulty finding an answer to, as Mahomes has certainly improved in some areas. While it could be instincts kicking in, his understanding of defenses has come a long way.
“It’s hard to say, man,” Kelce said. “I’ve always thought he’s been one of the smartest guys I’ve ever been around on the football field — whether it’s just playing off natural instincts or actually knowing what the defense is doing. I’ll leave that up to him to tell you.
“But I think his development over the offseasons has got a lot to do with taking it to that next step — whether it’s that next read or understanding what the defense is doing so you know where to go even more precise with the ball instead of just feeling out the defense. I’ve really seen that out of him in this camp more than any.”
There will certainly be some adjustments without Hill in the mix, but heading into his fifth season as the starter, Mahomes is more than capable of handling those changes. At times it seemed teams were able to slow them down a little bit taking away their downfield plays.
With a more diverse supporting cast in terms of skill sets now at the wide receiver position, the Chiefs could very well be more difficult to stop now than they were with Hill on the field. With Mahomes leading the way, the sky is the limit for Kansas City.
