Under Veach & Reid, Chiefs are building roster to win now, and for the future
That offseason overhaul of the defense spearheaded by Chiefs general manager Brett Veach, well it’s not over. The proof of that came in the form of the continued roster shuffling throughout training camp and right through this past weekend’s roster cut-down deadline.
The more we see from a Veach-led front office with coach Andy Reid’s input, it becomes clear that the overhaul might never be over. It will simply be the annual process. What’s more, it seems that the younger, tougher, deeper mantra is much more overall organizational philosophy than simply an approach to any one offseason or any one side of the ball.
When asked a question over the weekend about what remains of the 2017 draft class, Veach’s answer dripped with a combination of instant-gratification millennial mindset (though Veach is actually a member of Generation X) and sense of perpetual motion.
“I think we just kind of focus on where we are now, and we focus on where we’re going,” Veach said.
The most stark example of that dual emphasis on the future and the present — an argument could be made either way on that order of priority — came in the way the cornerback saga played out.
After making the decision to move on from Marcus Peters, the Chiefs acquired Kendall Fuller in the Alex Smith trade and signed David Amerson after looking into possible additions such as Kyle Fuller, Malcolm Butler, Trumaine Johnson and Aaron Colvin.
After a lackluster preseason from Amerson, the Chiefs basically replaced him with veteran Orlando Scandrick to go along with returning starter Steven Nelson and Fuller as the “now” component at the position.
Meanwhile, they added sixth-round draft pick Tremon Smith and undrafted rookie Charvarius Ward, who the Chiefs acquired last week from Dallas, as the “future” at the position.
“He’s long and athletic and athletic, and those guys are hard to find,” Veach said of Ward. “If you can add those guys a year early, sometimes you process this like another draft pick moving forward. You have a one and two twos next year, but now if you can move on a year early this would be like a late round pick that you can invest in here. We wanted to just jump on that early.
“Again, knowing that you pick so far down in the waiver wire claim, it’s like you’re not going to get a lot of these guys. Six-foot corners that flash a little on tape, they are like gold.”
For Reid, the balancing act becomes feeling as though there’s enough present on the roster to win with this season, but also having faith in player development.
Stocking up on young players who have less-expensive contracts and, presumably, a longer shelf life makes fiscal sense in the NFL, but it also puts the onus on Reid’s coaching staff to mold the young players into major contributors for the future.
Reid seems to have accepted the challenge.
“I like what I saw from the addition of Tremon Smith,” Reid said. “I think it’s a good, young nucleus with that group. Again, I have a lot of confidence in (defensive backs coaches) Al (Harris) and Emmitt (Thomas) to let those guys give them an opportunity to grow. I’m good with the whole cornerback situation.”
That approach isn’t exclusive to the cornerback position. After all, the Chiefs moved on from Alex Smith and put their faith in Reid and company’s ability to cultivate Patrick Mahomes into a top-flight quarterback. They kept just four outside linebackers, knowing that they’re depth at the position relies on a rookie making a position change in Breeland Speaks and a second-year man in Tanoh Kpassagnon who converted from defensive line the previous season.
The Chiefs sacrificed a serviceable veteran backup quarterback in Matt McGloin in order to keep young developmental rookie offensive linemen Kahlil McKenzie and Ike Boettger. Charcandrick West’s tenure as a Chief ended to pave the way, ostensibly, for rookie running back Darrel Williams. Former draft pick in Ukeme Eligwe got cut in order to keep undrafted rookie Ben Niemann in the fold, and the Chiefs traded away Parker Ehinger in exchange for Ward.
A little more than one year into the Reid-Veach Chiefs, we’re seeing that winning in the future is as much on the forefront of their minds as winning now.
“We thought we had some good, young guys that we wanted to keep,” Reid said. “I think as you build a team, you’ve got to keep that in mind as long as you’ve got players you feel comfortable that you can perform at a high level with and win. Those are the decisions that you make.”
Lynn Worthy
Lynn Worthy covers the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL for The Star.
