The 4 most indispensable Chiefs — besides Patrick Mahomes

On Wednesday’s mailbag edition of the Arrowhead Pride Out of Structure podcast, Matt Stagner and I evaluated the top-end talent of the Kansas City Chiefs’ roster and debated which players are the most indispensable (we left out the obvious answer of quarterback Patrick Mahomes as an option).

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We each chose one offensive player and one defensive player that fit the description:

Matt: Travis Kelce

On offense, it’s Travis Kelce. Hopefully Noah Gray might change this in the long run, but until proven otherwise. The drop-off from Kelce — a top-five player in the league, and the most reliable pass-catcher for this offense — to the next tight end is arguably more than any other position. Losing Kelce would be catastrophic for this team.

Ron: Tyreek Hill

When you take away the All-Pro pass-catcher from this wide receiver corps, it becomes a mostly young, unproven group with the most experience coming from Demarcus Robinson. You would have to bank on young players taking enormous steps forwards in their careers this season, but even then, it may be one of the least talented in the league.

Matt: Tyrann Mathieu

Given his contract situation, Mathieu’s agent is probably thrilled to hear us say that Mathieu is the most irreplaceable player on this defense. What he brings to the team on and off of the field, setting the tone, the leadership, the versatility — he’s the complete package. You don’t have another Mathieu on the roster or arguably anywhere in the league.

Ron: Chris Jones

There’s no top-end pass-rushing talent on the roster if you take Jones away. Frank Clark and Jarran Reed are skilled players, but neither are as consistently dominant and impactful to the game as Jones — and will be even less impactful without Jones’ presence beside them. They have a nice group of situational rushers — but when you take away the player demanding the attention that Jones does, it becomes much more difficult for them to succeed.

Weigh in with your answers below!

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