Organized team activities, OTAs for short, are underway for the Chiefs.
These are "practices" for the team to start implementing things they'll be working on in the upcoming season. It also allows rookies and new players to get familiar with their new teammates, coaches, and especially the playbooks.
The Chiefs arrived in style on Monday:
The work starts now. pic.twitter.com/hp4LR0x2dI
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) May 21, 2024
During these OTA's, there will be the beginning of several key position battles. These should be looked upon with a close eye. Some of these could be for starting jobs. Others are backups. All of them impact will depth and winning.
Chiefs' position battles to watch in OTAs and beyond
Wide receiver
Rashee Rice's availability and status is still up in the air. He will face a suspension at some point. Marquise Brown is new to the team. He's also on his third team in his sixth season. Xavier Worthy is a rookie. Kadarius Toney's fifth-year option wasn't picked up. Skyy Moore is a nice player but inconsistent and inexperienced. Justin Watson is the biggest body they have at the position. This is no doom and gloom statement. It speaks to the uncertainty at the position. Uncertainty is one thing, but the potential and promise is there also.
None are superstars and none are awful. Which one shakes out to the top will be a big question to answer this offseason.
Backup tight end
Travis Kelce is firmly entrenched as the guy. His backup is a different story. Rookie Jared Wiley has an inside track to get more playing time because of his 6-foot-7 frame. Noah Gray provided a decent amount of production this past season in his role as a backup. Irv Smith Jr is a former second-round pick who's on his third different team in as many seasons.
With the wide receiver position in flux, one of these guys could find a fair amount of snaps if they can prove themselves worthy. Not to mention the fact that Kelce is often called into wideout or slot duties. Those two position battles go hand in hand.
Offensive tackle
Kingsley Suamataia was drafted at the end of the second round. The Chiefs moved up to get him. Incumbent starter at left tackle Wanya Morris was a third-round pick last year and played OK at best. Jawaan Taylor was a free agency signing who held it down at right tackle in 2023.
Morris protects Patrick Mahomes' blind side, while Taylor holds down the "power tackle" spot. Neither guy is entrenched, which is why Suamataia was drafted. He played both tackle spots at BYU, but failed to overly impress at either. Some believe he will settle into one of the two spots as a pro. This is the most important battle of the offseason. This involves where the play starts, offensive line, at the two most critical spots on the line, protecting the franchise player and face of the league.
Right defensive end
While the right side is listed here, this is for depth chart purposes only. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo likes to deploy multiple looks. He gained notoriety with his NASCAR defensive line against the Patriots in those Super Bowls for the Giants.
Chris Jones makes this defensive line work. His ability to play every position so well moving up and down the line makes life easier for Spagnuolo. George Karlaftis is a starter for sure. His 10.5 sacks this past season say that for him. Mike Danna and Charles Omenihu are the main candidates to start at the other defensive end position. While their sack numbers were identical, Danna had more tackles, while Omenihu forced more fumbles. Danna is the quicker of the two, while Omenihu can slide inside on pass-rush downs. This was a position I thought the defense would get addressed this offseason. Instead, they focused on the offensive side of the ball, and rightfully so. They have enough talent to get it done along the line.
Cornerback
This position battle is interesting in the fact that the Chiefs may have the tallest starting cornerback trio in the league. First Team All-Pro Trent McDuffie is the short guy of the top four at 5-foot-11. Jaylen Watson (6-foot-2) has been solid the past couple years. Joshua Willaims (6-foot-3) has also been in this system for a couple years now. Kamal Hadden (6-foot-1) is a rookie sixth-rounder and will be fighting for time. Keith Traylor Jr (6-foot-3) is another corner they brought in this offseason to help compete at the position. It'll be interesting to see how teams decide to attack them. This is another reason why the defensive line battles and depth are critical.
