Building elite NFL rosters is nowhere close to easy. However, general manager Brett Veach has continued to hit home run after home run during his brief run in this role so far. And after winning the Super Bowl for the first time in half a century, this was such a crucial offseason for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Retaining a healthy chunk of your Super Bowl winning core is not easy. Players look for increased money on the open market. Meanwhile, NFL teams have to work around the salary cap restraints in both the short term and long term.
But now, the Chiefs are returning at least 60 percent of their overall roster from last year. Furthermore, 20 of the 22 starters that played in the Super Bowl are coming back. Kansas City is looking to win back to back Super Bowls, and “Run It Back.” Their roster rollover is also reaching historic levels for defending champions.
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Breezy Island
Cornerback Bashaud Breeland will be returning to Kansas City, as he has reportedly agreed to a one year deal worth up to $4.5 million. The key verbiage being, “worth up to.” This is likely an incentive based deal and it will not cost the Chiefs too much against the salary cap. More importantly, this shores up the hole at cornerback going into the NFL Draft at least.
The veteran cornerback will be entering his seventh NFL season in 2020. His numbers during his first campaign as a Chief this past season, include 48 total tackles, eight passes defensed and two interceptions during the regular season. In addition, Breeland allowed a completion percentage of just 48.4. He made impact plays in clutch moments all year long, despite having to weed through penalties early on. Though the major highlight came, when Breeland picked up a major interception in the first half of the Super Bowl. Other tackles in that game go unnoticed, in the leadup to the championship win.
What does this deal mean overall for the Chiefs? They do not necessarily have any immediate needs now in the draft. Yes, they should still look to add a cornerback, offensive lineman and possibly a linebacker. There is added flexibility, however. If Kansas City stays put at the end of the 1st round at 32nd overall, they can truly go best player available, rather than reaching for someone.
In the long term, there is not a lot of continuity for the cornerback position. Breeland will be back on the free agent market. Charvarius Ward is also a restricted free agent in 2021. The Chiefs are not in dire straits in this spot, but more additions will need to made.
From Teammate To Rival, And Teammate Again
Another recent addition, was that of running back DeAndre Washington. While the former 5th round pick has spent his entire NFL career with the Raiders, he has experience playing with Patrick Mahomes before. He was dynamic in his 2015 season alongside Mahomes. As a senior at Texas Tech, Washington totaled over 1,800 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns-14 rushing and two receiving-for the Red Raiders.
In no way should this move blow anyone away. Nonetheless, Washington fits the Chiefs’ strength on offense with his speed and dual threat ability. As a runner, he is shifty and patient, while driving through contact and constantly falling forward. I also believe that his route running skills could give him extra looks with the Chiefs offense.
Does this rule out the chance of KC going running back sometime during this year’s draft? With only five picks, that may be a strong possibility, despite a decent running back class. Washington will bring strong competition to the table, even if he does not make the roster.
Punters Are People Too
According to NFL Draft Diamonds, the Kansas City Chiefs are bringing in punter Tyler Newsome. Over 50 percent of his punts at Notre Dame pinned opponents inside their own 20 yard line. He has a booming leg with an even more impressive build.
Of course, fans love Dustin Colquitt. He has been with the Chiefs since 2005. But still, his career is coming to a close soon. This does not mean that the veteran will for sure be on the way out in 2020. Overall, the team would like to be ready for competition on all levels.
Last year, they did the same thing when former Rice punter Jack Fox was brought in as an undrafted free agent. Newsome could give Colquitt a run for his money in a similar fashion.
Be on the lookout for more Chiefs offseason coverage. Included, will be more draft prospect profiles in the leadup to the NFL’s selections in a couple of weeks. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.
– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.
