What we learned about the Chiefs this week

How Andy Reid’s history might impact the draft

AP user jared64804 researched Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s draft history with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chiefs. On Saturday, he provided some conclusions about what it could mean for the 2020 draft.

Reid and those around him will always value raw athletic ability over refined technique. He has generally drafted players with high-ceiling athletic ability instead of those who are sure things with high floors. For some highly-drafted players — like Eric Fisher, Dee Ford and Tanoh Kpassagnon — it has taken time to see a return on the team’s draft investment.

Clark Hunt may have called the best play in Super Bowl LIV

On Sunday, John reflected on Chiefs owner Clark Hunt’s decision to hire Reid in 2013 — and another decision from that time that might have been even more important.

Hunt deserves credit for making an aggressive move to get the head coach he wanted. But it might be that the more significant decision was to make Reid directly accountable to him — not a general manager who hadn’t yet been hired. That GM — whoever it would turn out to be — would also report directly to the owner.

An open letter to Steve Spagnuolo

Craig felt it was time to write the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator a thank you note. He sent it on Monday.

You’ve completely revamped the Chiefs defense. You added aggression and unpredictability to a group that struggled in both of these areas under the previous coordinator. You brought in an all-star coaching staff to help execute your vision and add new wrinkles to your scheme. You added brash, vocal leaders in Tyrann Mathieu and Frank Clark to help align the locker room as a singular unit. You made adjustments — putting each player in their best position to succeed — which led to a unified group that was even better than the sum of its parts.

The Chiefs’ roster: who to consider keeping ahead of 2020

With free agency and the draft on the horizon, on Tuesday, Stags applied his Market Movers approach to the Chiefs roster, examining which players the team might want to move to retain — and which ones the team might leave behind.

Bashaud Breeland — Sometimes “prove it” deals work out. Breeland signed a relatively low one-year deal last offseason and went on to arguably become the Chiefs’ best cornerback all season. He capped that 2019 season off with big plays throughout the postseason, including an interception in the Super Bowl. Now that he has proved it, he’ll be in much higher demand. The Chiefs likely want him back, but they will have competition. Breeland helped himself this season as much as any player on the roster.

Here is what the Chiefs should do when it comes to their offensive unrestricted free agents

Starting on Tuesday with the offense, Ron gave us a two-part series with his takes on the Chiefs free agents — and a recommendation for each. He concluded the series on Wednesday.

Matt Moore’s performance in his three games of action make him the favorite — but it could also give him leverage for top second-string quarterback money. A team with more cap space and a need for a veteran to mentor their young quarterback may price Moore out of a re-sign with Kansas City due to the massive, inevitable deal for star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. If Moore gets too expensive, Chad Henne is still a good consolation prize on a potential one-year deal.

Twitter reacts to outtake of Super Bowl team photo

Twitter went nuts when the Chiefs released an outtake of a the team photo session in Miami on the day before the Super Bowl. On Wednesday, we assembled the best reactions.

The Chiefs’ best interior offensive line fits in free agency and the draft

Thursday arrived with a recap of the two players discussed for the interior of the Chiefs’ offensive line during Wednesday’s episode of the Arrowhead Pride Laboratory.

The perfect fit for the Chiefs on the interior of their offensive line is a Division III tackle from St. John’s (MN). Ben Bartch wasn’t widely known heading into the Senior Bowl but made himself some money over the course of the week. Playing out at tackle during the event, Bartch got better every day in Mobile and displayed intriguing athleticism. While he was allowed to continue lining up at the position he played in college, a move inside could ultimately be the best decision for him. If that’s the case, the Chiefs would be as a good a fit for him as he would be for them. Andy Heck would have a ball of clay to develop that has shown promising movement skills and functional strength.

What the Chiefs could get in return for Chris Jones might be less than we think

If the Chiefs end up deciding to trade defensive tackle Chris Jones, it’s reasonable to think the Chiefs might get a first-round pick or more. But on Thursday, John wondered if the circumstances in which the Chiefs find themselves might mean they’d have to accept less.

Let’s remember the basic, immutable fact about a trade: for it to happen, both parties have to believe they are benefiting from it. For the Chiefs, that benefit may not be defined by whether or not the compensation they receive for Jones lines up with previous trades for similar players; whether it’s the same compensation Team X got for Player Y might have no bearing on whether the Chiefs see a benefit from the deal.

Eric Bieniemy turns down Colorado head coaching position, per report

Then on Friday, a dance that had gone on for more than a week between Colorado University and the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator ended with Bienemy removing himself from consideration.

Last offseason, Bieniemy, 50, interviewed with the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their vacant head-coaching positions, and he reportedly turned down an interview from the Arizona Cardinals. This offseason, interviews with the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants did not lead to a position.

Coming off a win in Super Bowl LIV having helped lead quarterback Patrick Mahomes to an NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in successive seasons, Bieniemy was a rather attractive candidate for Colorado.