Chiefs' moves this offseason reveal how seriously they understand need to change

If you were like me, anyway, maybe you gritted your teeth when Andy Reid last season kept insisting the sinking Chiefs were closerthanthis to turning it back around.

And you wondered if Reid was in denial when he stressed after the season that the main difference between these Chiefs — who went 6-11 — and the predecessors who played in three straight Super Bowls was merely the record in one-score games.

Because true as that was technically, that distinction was more fundamental than incidental in a league so defined by that very line — especially considering their once-exhilarating offense had turned stale over much of the season.

The implications of that tone, and the return of Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator, were that Reid was embracing something between a throwback tour and the status quo.

Certainly, we know by now you wouldn’t want to play poker with Reid, who also has an aversion to publicly criticizing his players. Even after all these years on the job, Reid no doubt still relishes problem-solving and could hardly mean it more when he uses his catchphrase of “looking forward to the challenge” on any given week.

Still, his stance made it hard to anticipate a bold reboot by general manager Brett Veach and his staff at the advent of the offseason.

Starting with the momentous trade of All-Pro defensive back Trent McDuffie for a haul of draft choices, including No. 29 overall this year, though, the Chiefs have revealed exactly that approach.

And the urgency for an extreme makeover was all the more clear as of the first day of free agency last Monday with the signing of Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III to revitalize an inadequate running game that hindered the offense.

Soon came news of the return of star tight end Travis Kelce, a vital presence whose encore season on the surface doesn’t signify change but figures to be in a modified role as the Chiefs should be compelled to fortify what faded into an erratic wide receiver corps.

Then the exodus that began with McDuffie and the (entirely anticipated) previous release of offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor accelerated.

Most notably, that was in the form of the departures in free agency of, whoa, most of the rest of the sterling and fascinating 2022 draft class: Bryan Cook, Leo Chenal, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson and Isiah Pacheco.

That leaves only George Karlaftis from a group that both was a key part of going to three straight Super Bowls and serves as a reminder of how the Chiefs have to conduct business: through the draft and by churning to keep the roster young and affordable around Patrick Mahomes and the prolific contract the Chiefs keep reworking.

All of which has started to generate some essential change, though just how the Chiefs execute the presumptive chain reaction will be pivotal to how effective this initial burst becomes.

As of Monday, that’s meant the additions of former Cardinals running back Emari Demarcado, former Patriots defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, former Ravens safety Alohi Gilman and former Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou— a start to resetting the defensive backfield.

That leaves a lot to get done approaching and through a vital draft in which they hold the ninth pick, three of the first 40 and nine overall.

But the Walker signing was clarifying in multiple ways, including that the Chiefs by committing to him now virtually must prioritize corresponding moves to revive the receiver room and add edge rusher(s).

They also seemingly need to contour the offense to best take advantage of Walker as an asset that could not just offset pressure on Mahomes but enable him, and the offense overall, to thrive:

Remember what it was like in 2018, Mahomes’ first season as QB1 with a young Kareem Hunt electrifying the backfield for the first 11 games? The Chiefs led the NFL in scoring and total offense as Mahomes earned MVP honors.

Then there was 2022, when then-rookie Pacheco tied for eighth among NFL running backs with 4.9 yards a carry.

With opponents forced to respect the run game and the offense less predictable for it, shazam, the Chiefs again led the league in points and yards; Mahomes earned his second MVP award.

Many variables are different now, of course.

That includes significant questions about Mahomes’ receiving arsenal with Rashee Rice facing a lawsuit alleging physical abuse (and the possibility of another suspension), Xavier Worthy having regressed last season — albeit while contending with a shoulder injury from early in the first game — and Hollywood Brown a free agent who hasn’t signed anywhere yet.

That was the trio the Chiefs were so eager to get on the field together last year. But the combination only yielded brief flashes of what had been anticipated.

So, sure, plenty more has to happen to make the signing of Walker as enticing as it appears to be on the surface.

And the fact that the Chiefs will be paying about $45 million for him over the next three years naturally will have an impact on their ability to get more done. Or at least how they go about it.

But signing him doesn’t just (likely) change the calculus and dynamics of the Chiefs offense.

It speaks to the scale and scope of the offseason operation.

And it makes a reassuring statement that the Chiefs and Reid, smokescreen to the contrary, know they needed more than just some spackling and tweaking to return to perennial contention.

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