2024 Kansas City Chiefs

[FootballDad]

The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs are slightly more palatable than previous teams with the addition of 5 more white players on the active roster than last year's team. I've upgraded them to a solid "D" which is somewhat remarkable. Coached by future HOF HC Andy "Still Fat, Slightly Less of a Bastard" Reid with CF favorite Matt "Rat" Nagy as OC and Steve Spagnuola as DC. Brett Veach is a good and fair (by NFL standards) GM, Clark Hunt a very good out-of-the-way owner, they have good leadership. This year's team has a few significant changes from last year that the average DWF probably won't notice. The starting offensive line, although largely unchanged from last year (worthless LT Jawaan Taylor moved to RT, rookie Poly Kingsley Suamataia now LT) the depth is almost all white, including a rookie OT. There will also be many times this year where there will be 4-5 palefaces out on defense as well.

Total White Athletes on Roster (Starters in bold)
21 Whites total, with 6 starters. Grade: D

QB - Carson Wentz
WR - Justin Watson
"FB" - Carson Steele
TE - Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Jared Wiley, Peyton Hendershot
C - Creed Humphrey, Hunter Nourzad
G - Joe Thuney, C.J. Hanson, Mike Caliendo
T - Ethan Driskell
LB - Leo Chenal, Drue Tranquill, Jack Cochrane
DE - George Karlaftis, Cameron Thomas

K - Harrison Butker
P - Matt Araiza
LS - James Winchester

IR - None
PS - Cole Christiansen (LB), Swayze Bozeman (LB), Baylor Cupp (TE), Bailey Zappe (QB)

Offensively the Chiefs should be very interesting to watch. More than half-white Patrick Mahomes is a great QB, the entire TE depth is all white, and we will have the Carson Steele watch in effect. I guess we should be grateful that the Chiefs employ a white WR who is on the field for the majority of the offensive snaps, it's just frustrating how infrequently targeted Justin Watson is. This year his role will be changing a bit with Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy now running deep routes. It should open up the middle of the field a bit more for Watson and the TE corps. I expect Travis "Mr Pfizer" Kelce to have a really good year and for Noah Gray to have a breakout campaign. To say nothing of Jared Wiley, who will be a star at some point. The big news is Steele, listed as a fullback. We've had this discussion throughout the preseason, the label is a slap as he never did any fullback stuff his entire collegiate career, and didn't in preseason or camp with the Chiefs either.

On the offensive line the rookie Driskell is a backup for both sides. If you read a scouting writeup of him you would swear that you just read a black tackle description with the "long wingspan", "superb athleticism", "quick feet", etc. The Chiefs are hoping that he develops quickly to move in for the aformentioned swinging-gate Taylor and the really really awful Wanya Morris. Hunter Nourzad and C.J. Hanson are two other paleface rookies who made the roster and were both very good in preseason action. C Creed Humphrey and G Joe Thuney are two of the best in the league at their positions.

Defensively they now have Tranquill and Chenal starting at LB with Jack Cochrane coming in at MLB anytime that the oft-injured Nick Bolton needs to come out. George Karlaftis is among the better defensive ends in the league and will shortly have Cam Thomas joining him. Ahead of him on the depth chart is Mike Danna, who is a serviceable end, but better inside, Malik Herring, who is average to below-average and soon-to-be on the CF bust thread 2023 first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah. I expect that by week 3 Thomas will have his name in bold up above. Missing are any crackers in the secondary either starting, on the depth or even on the PS.

Practice squad has former NE Patriots QB Bailey Zappe on it which is a great move by the Chiefs. Preseason backups Ian Book and (black) Chris Oladokun were not confidence-inspiring. Rookie LB Swayze Bozeman was one of the camp stars for the Chiefs and will be quick to move up in case of injuries.

 

[Don Wassall]

Excellent in-depth write-up, and Andy Reid's new nickname though on the long side is funny (which makes it even funnier).

The 21 Whites on the roster is good to see, has to be a record by four or five for a Reid coached team. Looking at their off-season moves and the instant emergence of Carson Steele as clearly an NFL caliber running back, my hope is this team will see more Whites on the field as the season goes on due to injuries and under-performance. Of course injuries can work the other way but there's no doubt there's a lot of high-quality White talent on this year's roster.

 

[FootballDad]

I forgot to mention the addition of "punt god" Matt Araiza. He looks to be just as good as advertised. Besides his ability to punt the ball a country mile, he is deadly accurate at pinning opponents deep in their end. That and he's a lefty which puts a weird spin on the ball that returners aren't used to. With him, PK Harrison Butker and the LS Winchester the Chiefs are solid in the K game. Oh, and watch recent WSTD addition Hendershot blow up opposing returners, he's very good at it.

 

[El Gringo]

This article says he is rb2. It does look like they initially signed him as a fullback but his excellent play earned him a running back spot. It’s crazy how much the chiefs fans love this guy. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id...-chiefs-rb-carson-steele-backup-isiah-pacheco

 

[Freethinker]

The Chiefs just keep getting better and better. A rare team that has players of interest all over the offense, defense and even special teams. FD, great write up and I don’t have much to add. Just want to say I’m rooting hard for Araiza, whose life and career was almost ruined by a fake rape accusation. Remember gentlemen, we must always “believe all women”.

 

[El Gringo]

The Chiefs just keep getting better and better. A rare team that has players of interest all over the offense, defense and even special teams. FB, great write up and I don’t have much to add. Just want to say I’m rooting hard for Araiza, whose life and career was almost ruined by a fake rape accusation. Remember gentlemen, we must always “believe all women”.

I read or heard a quote somewhere that said “ the only tears that you should ever take seriously from a woman are the ones that she cries alone” or something to that effect and it’s very true!

It’s great that the Chiefs are getting are getting more white but if they get their third Super Bowl in a row there’s no doubt that Mahomes will become in the media and dwf’s fans mind at least, the greatest quarterback of all time over Brady. I have no problems with Mahomes whatsoever. He seems like a pretty great guy but I would hate to see him surpass Brady.

 

[Don Wassall]

He won't surpass Brady unless he wins eight, yes eight, Super Bowls, a long way off if ever.

To make a comparison, I'm in a 30 year old fantasy football league consisting of a group of men who get together once a year to draft, drink and taunt. My team has seven titles, the next closest just won his fourth title last season, defeating my team in the championship even though I had the highest scoring team by far. Am I worried about him eventually surpassing me? Hell no!! I can still win titles whereas Tom Brady can't, but still, my point is don't worry about it today, and realize that the odds of any quarterback winning more Super Bowls than Brady is so low that it's not even worth worrying about.

 

[El Gringo]

He won't surpass Brady unless he wins eight, yes eight, Super Bowls, a long way off if ever.

To make a comparison, I'm in a 30 year old fantasy football league consisting of a group of men who get together once a year to draft, drink and taunt. My team has seven titles, the next closest just won his fourth title last season, defeating my team in the championship even though I had the highest scoring team by far. Am I worried about him eventually surpassing me? Hell no!! I can still win titles whereas Tom Brady can't, but still, my point is don't worry about it today, and realize that the odds of any quarterback winning more Super Bowls than Brady is so low that it's not even worth worrying about.

Don do you think that the powers that be want a white man as the goat at the “most important position in all of sports” ? Mahomes is only 28 and he’s been damn near indestructible his whole career. The rules have been changed so it’s much easier for a quarterback to survive. Tom Brady has said this much himself.

 

[Don Wassall]

Don do you think that the powers that be want a white man as the goat at the “most important position in all of sports” ? Mahomes is only 28 and he’s been damn near indestructible his whole career. The rules have been changed so it’s much easier for a quarterback to survive. Tom Brady has said this much himself.

I look at it like Wayne Gretzky's records, no one is remotely close to challenging them. Brady's seven rings are so far above, I worry about those who can't comprehend that.

 

[El Gringo]

Dont worry about me I’m fine and just living,loving laughing, learning. We shall see about this whole Mahomes thing.

Has the NHL changed the rules lately to benefit the offense? I’m totally ignorant on hockey. I also don’t think the NHL is a fair comparison whatsoever because there’s maybe two or three blacks?

 

[Gator Dad]

Given how the Chiefs have gradually whitened up, it'll be interesting to see how long they'll continue to be media darlings. My guess is not long unless they start darkening up again.

 

[Don Wassall]

Dont worry about me I’m fine and just living,loving laughing, learning. We shall see about this whole Mahomes thing.

Has the NHL changed the rules lately to benefit the offense? I’m totally ignorant on hockey. I also don’t think the NHL is a fair comparison whatsoever because there’s maybe two or three blacks?

Looking at my response above I wasn't trying to insult you, just talking in general, apologies if you took it that way.

Mahomes still needs two more Super Bowl wins just to pass Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw, who both have four, to move into second place. And even then if he gets to that point he'll still need three more to pass Brady. The way the NFL is with its designed parity, I'm just not the least bit worried about Mahomes getting there at this point in time. If Andy Reid manages to exceed what Bill Belichick did over a two decade period and the Chiefs keep winning and winning and Mahomes does get to five or six, then I'll worry a bit.

But history says it won't happen and the way the NFL is, I don't see it happening because it's assuming a lot. Just one example -- there hasn't been a black QB since Warren Moon who has been effective beyond his early 30s. Russell Wilson would be the closest and has been the best since Moon but he's 35 and has had two bad seasons in a row so his decline began in his early 30s. Brady played into his mid-40s, he was a freak of nature and if Mahomes does the same then he's deserving of the accolades he receives.

Another factor -- Reid at 66 is now the oldest head coach in the NFL by five years. Will he and Mahomes still be together say a decade from now? Highly unlikely.