Arrowhead Pride
In our “Let’s Argue” series, our Mark Gunnels considers the hot takes, wacky predictions and unpopular opinions of Kansas City Chiefs fans from all over the world.
While this won’t be a popular take in Chiefs Kingdom, it has some merit.
You can make the case for trading the team’s All-Pro cornerback. After all, Kansas City could get a big return — and given general manager Brett Veach’s track record, it’s easy to imagine he can draft another talented defensive back.
We’re already seeing this kind of success with rookie Nohl Williams. As Mr. Brownstone noted, going into Week 4, Williams was PFF’s highest-graded NFL cornerback. The sample size is small, but it’s certainly a good indicator for where he’s headed in his career.
Still, I’d be surprised if Veach doesn’t lock up McDuffie in a long-term contract. Despite his unique ability to draft the position well — and with future Hall of Famer Chris Jones continuing to age — Kansas City needs McDuffie to be the face of the defense for the back half of quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ tenure.
At worst, we’re talking about a top-5 player at cornerback — and he’s only 23 years old.
From one seventh-round rookie to another!
There’s no secret how lackluster the Chiefs’ rushing attack has been. Mahomes still leads the team in rushing yards (130) over Isiah Pacheco (127). While that isn’t likely to last much longer, it’s still a glaring issue.
Pacheco has shown flashes, but he doesn’t look like quite the same player he was before his injury — and he continues to show a lack of vision and patience. Speaking of players not looking the same, Kareem Hunt also fits that description — although given the mileage on his legs, it’s more expected.
Neither veteran has the burst that Smith brings to the field. He could be the solution.
In very limited regular-season action, Smith hasn’t yet shown us much in the running game — but last week against the Baltimore Ravens, he flashed some juice as a receiver, collecting 27 yards on three catches. That was the most action he has seen so far. We’ll probably see him continue to get more snaps.
Maybe Veach will make a trade for a running back before the deadline. In the meantime, the team should give Smith more touches.
This one feels simple.
Assuming everyone on the starting offensive line remains healthy, we likely won’t see Moore play very much this season. However, the expectation is that Moore will be the starting right tackle after the Chiefs let Jawaan Taylor walk next year.
When Veach signed Moore to a two-year, $30 million deal, the initial thought was that he would play left tackle this season. That was, however, before Josh Simmons fell into Kansas City’s lap in the draft.
At the end...
