We learned through the impending free agency of Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson that there is a deliberate push and plan general manager Brett Veach is spearheading for the team to get much younger.
Perhaps this stat put out by Pro Football Focus Tuesday morning may help explain why:
A look at how many snaps rookies played for every team in the NFL! pic.twitter.com/QPRVgcZ4vM
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) February 20, 2018
The fancy graphic lists how many rookie snaps each NFL team had throughout the 2017 season. As you can see, the Chiefs are represented by that tiny red bump on the right, equating to 1,131 rookie snaps, or second-to-last in the league only to the Atlanta Falcons.
It’s worth noting that the rookie snaps statistic also includes a Week 17 matchup in which Patrick Mahomes, Tanoh Kpassagnon and Ukeme Eligwe received much more playing time than usual.
Johnson said it himself: The Chiefs are “going young.”
Perhaps this is a statistic someone like Jessie Bates III could help improve in 2018.