AP Draft Room: 3 positions the Chiefs still need to address

The NFL offseason is in full swing. Each Friday, the “Arrowhead Pride Draft Room” podcast drops a new episode that addresses prospects, team needs and other storylines for the Kansas City Chiefs. I’m the emcee of the show, which rotates guests and co-hosts to bring some different perspectives.

On the latest show, Arrowhead Pride film analysts Caleb James and Nate Christensen joined me to recap the Chiefs’ moves in free agency — but also to look forward to the rest of this offseason period. To do so, we highlighted a few positions we think Kansas City could still address with signings before the draft:

Wide receiver

The Chiefs’ current group of wide receivers offers a variety of skill sets, but they all feel like complementary weapons more than No. 1 options, even with reports that the team believes in wide receiver Kadarius Toney to that capacity.

It leads me to believe that there’s another move to be made, whether it’s a bigger name like Odell Beckham Jr. or a more lowkey veteran receiver like Adam Thielen. D.J. Chark is also still available — he’s a 26-year-old who has topped 1000 receiving yards in a season before. One of these players may be the last piece to complete the 2023 receiver group.

Safety

Juan Thornhill is officially gone, signing with the Cleveland Browns this week. That leaves Kansas City with just two safeties: Justin Reid and Bryan Cook.

Under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the Chiefs have valued a strong, deep safety position — always having at least four capable players. That points to the team still needing a player with the ability to make contributions right away, which could mean a free-agent signing.

As of Thursday evening, safeties Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, John Johnson and Taylor Rapp are all still available. Rapp intrigues me the most, a versatile safety that was a key piece in the Los Angeles Rams’ championship team in 2021.

Defensive tackle

The addition of defensive lineman Charles Omenihu boosted the pass rush, but he isn’t a true interior lineman — even if he rushes from the inside at times.

The Chiefs still need stout players in their defensive front, especially with the losses of defensive tackles Khalen Saunders (New Orleans) and Derrick Nnadi, who has yet to sign anywhere.

If the Chiefs want to find hole pluggers on the open market, players like Greg Gaines and Poona Ford are out there. Both have the size to plug an A-gap but can move well for their size.

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