Chiefs Respected in Recent Power Rankings

There is a secret sauce per se behind the success of the Kansas City Chiefs.

While the dazzling play of Patrick Mahomes, the play-calling of Andy Reid, the scheme of Steve Spagnuolo, and the efforts of the team get the spotlight as they should, the continued success of the front office to replace talent after talent does not get the love it deserves.

For some reason, Brett Veach and Andy Reid's work in boardrooms, draft rooms, and behind the scenes fails to get the credit it deserves, even though, unlike other franchises, the Chiefs have greater overall success.

However, NFL.com's lead draft writer Eric Edholm is giving the Chiefs their flowers in a recent power ranking, listing the franchise at two behind the Philadelphia Eagles after the team addressed several needs in free agency.

"The Chiefs wasted no time addressing their perceived biggest need at left tackle, signing ex-49erJaylon Moore, although it's fair to ask if Moore is indeed the answer there, given that he's played a little less than a full season of snaps (827) over four years in the NFL." Wrote Edholm. "The good news is that most of those snaps were at left tackle, and he played well down the stretch for San Francisco in place of the injured Trent Williams, which helps the projection."

"Of course, the Chiefs also potentially weakened another position by trading away All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney, leaving Kingsley Suamataiain line to be his presumptive replacement. And wasn't it just a year ago that Suamataia, a second-round pick in 2024, was going to be the left tackle?" Edholm said.

"I laid all this out merely to demonstrate the point that we won't know if the Chiefs have solved their OL issues until, say, Week 3, which was when Suamataia was first benched last season. But they're the Chiefs, and they tend to solve problems better than almost every other team, which is why they get the benefit of the doubt here."

The Chiefs had very little financial flexibility entering this offseason and still found a way to turn their situation into gold. A testament to Reid's experience, Veach's management, and the culture in Kansas City.