Final week, Professional Soccer Focus revealed NFL roster rankings for the 2024 season, and the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs had been second within the index, an enchancment from 2023 (No. 4) and 2022 (No. 8). The one workforce with a greater roster coming into coaching camp, in response to PFF, is the San Francisco 49ers.
The article expectedly lists quarterback Patrick Mahomes because the workforce’s biggest power and left sort out because the workforce’s biggest weak point, although, at this level, left sort out might be higher described as unsure than weak. The Chiefs’ prime candidates for the place are presently second-year participant Wanya Morris and rookie Kingsley Suamataia.
PFF believes the X-factor is large receiver Rashee Rice.
The X-factor
Rice is extra of an X-factor for off-the-field causes than on. As a rookie second-rounder in 2023, Rice was a revelation for the Chiefs down the stretch, as he caught 79 passes for 938 yards and 7 scores with an 85.0 PFF grade. Nonetheless, Rice has had a tumultuous offseason with varied authorized troubles that might land him a suspension and set this offense again. Whether or not that suspension happens in 2024 or needs to be delayed till 2025 because of the authorized course of, the Chiefs dropping Rice for any time frame may very well be detrimental to this offense’s effectiveness. If Rice can keep away from suspension in 2024, although, with the strikes the workforce made at large receiver within the offseason this has the potential to be essentially the most gifted group of move catchers that Mahomes has ever needed to work with.
No one is aware of how lengthy Rice’s suspension for the upcoming season might be, however the basic consensus is that one is coming. The large receiver has been noticed at organized workforce actions (OTAs), indicating the workforce will keep on with him all through his authorized course of and eventual punishment from the NFL.
I’d speculate that the suspension might be between two to 4 video games. If that’s right, it’s smart to recall that Kansas Metropolis managed for 4 video games with out its prime receiver earlier than: again in 2019, when then-Chiefs large receiver Tyreek Hill suffered a shoulder harm halfway by the workforce’s Week 1 sport in opposition to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hill went on to overlook the subsequent 4 matchups, and the Chiefs went 3-1.
Rice’s state of affairs isn’t one to disregard — however not all that way back, Mahomes and Andy Reid did simply nice after they handled an identical occasion.
The rookie to observe
PFF says large receiver Xavier Worthy is the Chiefs’ rookie to observe.
No matter Rice’s authorized state of affairs, the Chiefs’ receiver room nonetheless wanted a lift heading into the draft. They signed Marquise Brown away from the Cardinals and chosen Texas speedster Xavier Worthy with their first-round choose. Worthy made historical past on the NFL mix by operating a 4.21-second 40-yard sprint, the quickest recorded time on the occasion ever. Worthy isn’t only a pace demon, although, as he had a really productive profession at Texas, catching at the least 50 passes for over 600 yards and 5 scores in all three of his collegiate seasons. The Chiefs haven’t had a speedster with high-end receiving means since buying and selling Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins two years in the past and with Worthy, that aspect must be firmly reestablished on this offense.
Final 12 months’s rookie to observe was Rice, and followers went on to observe him turn into a big a part of the Chiefs’ offense by season’s finish. Kansas Metropolis has excessive hopes for Worthy to be a kind of gamers who presents an on the spot impression, although we haven’t gotten to see a lot of him these days; he has missed OTAs with a hamstring harm.
Count on the coaching employees to proceed to be cautious with Worthy as they put together him for coaching camp. That’s a way more necessary stretch than Could and June offseason practices. Assuming Rice is suspended, Worthy might see a very good chunk of offensive snaps a lot earlier than he would have. Time will inform as as to if he can take benefit.
AFC West X-factors
PFF lists Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aiden O’Connell and Chargers large receiver Quinton Johnston as Kansas Metropolis’s rival X-factors.
For the second 12 months in a row, Denver and Las Vegas’ X-factors are quarterbacks. As we all know now, these X-factors (Russell Wilson and Jimmy Garoppolo) didn’t pan out, as each gamers have discovered their approach out of the division.
