Everything you need to know about the Chiefs busy April thus far
Tyler Brown
The Kansas City Chiefs have been on quite the news cycle over the past four days, starting with the situation involving 2023 breakout wide receiver, Rashee Rice. Good, bad or indifferent, signings, rumors, re-signings and stadium news have not stopped since.
After some dead time between when superstar cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was traded to the Tennessee Titans and when it was finalized, it was presumed there could be a flurry of moves possible with the added $19.8 million in cap space. The Rice news was probably not the first bit of news the Chiefs wanted out there, but they have made some interesting moves since then. They also reportedly had a former top NFL draft prospect in the building and the Arrowhead Renovation vote has been finalized.
Let’s dive into everything you need to know in chronological order.
Chiefs sign Carson Wentz
It was reported late Monday night that the Chiefs are bringing in a former number two overall pick, to play backup quarterback.
Former second-team all-pro Carson Wentz is coming to Kansas City on a one-year deal to be presumably the primary backup for Patrick Mahomes.
It is tough not to like this deal given what Wentz has displayed at times in his career and it likely coming in at a low cost. Sure, he has had a tumultuous career, but this is an upgrade and of a different proto-type general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid have desired in a QB-two since Mahomes took over.
Wentz rose to stardom in his second year in the league when he finished in the top five of MVP voting and won a Super Bowl that season. The only issue for Wentz was that he suffered a season-ending injury late in the year and former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Nick Foles was the one playing hero. Wentz never really recovered from that moment, eventually getting beat out by the now-starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, Jalen Hurts.
The Indianapolis Colts then traded quite a bit of draft capital to obtain Wentz as their starter in 2021, but that only lasted one year. He did throw for over 3,500 yards, and 27 touchdowns with only seven interceptions, however.
He then was traded again to the Washington Commanders, which was his last stint as a starter. He struggled mightily in a bad Washington offense, going 2-5 before they moved on as well. He signed midway through the year in 2023 with the Los Angeles Rams. He started one meaningless week 18 game where he tossed for 163 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while securing the win.
The main way this is of a different ilk than Chad Henne, Matt Moore and Blaine Gabbert is it is clear the Chiefs brass view Mahomes as the elder statesman in the room now and do not feel that he needs a mentor for the backup quarterback spot. Wentz only came into the league one year before Mahomes, even though he is three years older.
He also has a little more creative ability and is more of a wild card than Mahomes’ previous backups. You might want a guy like Henne or Moore in a one-game or one-drive situation with Reid calling the plays but if Mahomes were to be out for an extended number of games, Wentz has the ability to go win games rather than just playing it safe.
Chiefs bring in J.K. Dobbins for a visit, re-sign Clyde Edwards-Helaire
It is unknown at this point if the
Chiefs bringing in J.K. Dobbins for a visit has any correlation with
re-signing Clyde Edwards-Helaire just a few hours later, but I would presume that it does. If the Chiefs could swing bringing in both running backs from the 2020 NFL Draft, it would make for a fairly exciting positional situation.
For one, all three have an injury rap sheet, so depth among themselves would be necessary. Pacheco runs so hard and angry that it seems likely little injuries here and there could hold him back from time to time. So far in his career, he has only missed three games, however.
Edwards-Helaire on the other hand has missed 19 games over four years, while Dobbins has a horrifically rich injury history. Dobbins has suffered three different season-ending injuries over four years and has been limited to just 26 games over that time. What still generates buzz around him though is he seems to come back and look the same every time. He averages 5.8 yards per carry over his career and has already been cleared for football activities after tearing his achilles in week one.
It seems like Dobbins has left the facility without inking a deal and with Edwards-Helaire re-signing it does not appear likely this match will come to fruition. It would make for a very well-rounded backfield though as all three are at least decent in pass protection and have different skill sets. Pacheco would be thunder to Dobbin's lighting, while Edwards-Helaire is a great pass catcher out of the backfield. The most likely outcome here is that the Chiefs draft a third running back in the later rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“Arrowhead Reimagined” is voted down by Jackson County residents
In somewhat of a landslide, Jakscon County residents voted no on “Question 1” which was to extend the 3/8 cent tax to 2064. The sales tax this would have been designated for was proposed to build a new Royals Stadium downtown in the Crossroads district, as well as renovate Arrowhead.
Both stadiums are over 50 years old and the two long-time neighboring homes to the Chiefs and Royals appear to be at a fork in the road. While there is speculation, it is truly unknown what the outcome of this vote is. Owner of the Royals, John Sherman and
Chiefs President Mark Donovan both essentially voiced that they are going to re-group and figure out what is best for their perspective franchises and the fans of Kansas City.
Both teams' current lease at the Truman Sports Complex is set to expire in 2031, so perhaps there is some time here for each team to re-group and come up with a plan that will appease the Jackson County Voters. The Royals and Chiefs will have to decide if they want to try and accomplish that or look at other alternatives. They do have a bridge to gap as the polls reportedly closed over 58 percent not in favor of question one, which is a 16-point differential and separated by nearly 22,000 votes.
