It was a bit of a shocker, but the Kansas City Chiefs traded away Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins for a surplus of NFL picks. Nobody ever thought Hill would leave the Chiefs and most believed the Chiefs’ success on the field had everything to do with Hill and the dynamic player that he is.
Even with Hill gone, the Chiefs have plenty of talent at wide receiver. The Chiefs added Juju Smith-Schuster and gave the bag to Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Maybe the Chiefs overpaid for Scantling, but the Chiefs always find a way to get these types of receivers in the best spots to succeed.
AFC West
The AFC West is already going to be a powerhouse. It’s already going to be hard. Regardless if Hill was around, the Chiefs would have a hard time competing. In the AFC West, the Denver Broncos added Russell Wilson, the Los Angeles Chargers will get another improvement year from Justin Herbert and the Las Vegas Raiders just added Devante Adams at wide receiver.
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This division is wide open and very talented. But if the Chiefs don’t win the division this year, it won’t be because of the wide receiver spot. There were times that Hill had two or fewer catches and the Chiefs still won by double digits. Hill had four catches against the Packers for 37 yards last season and the Chiefs won 13-7.
He had two catches against the Broncos for 22 yards and the Chiefs won, 22-9. He also had two catches against the Steelers for 19 yards in a 36-10 win. Hill’s a dominant playmaker but in the Chiefs’ offense, anyone with speed and the ability to catch the ball is going to succeed.
Defense
The Chiefs need to get a better defense. The defense was so inconsistent last year but now the Chiefs have draft picks to go out and get some players. In the AFC West, you’re going to want some really good cornerbacks to go up against receivers in Vegas, receivers in Denver, and receivers in Los Angeles.
You’re going to win games in this division with defense. Because all of these offenses are absolutely filled with star power. So in the draft, expect the Chiefs to really hammer down on defensive talent to overcome all of the different moves the other teams made in the division.
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Hill’s stats are electric because he’ll have one or two massive plays per game that lead to 30-60 yard touchdowns or long plays. That’s what he does very well. But other guys on the Chiefs have that in them too. Smith-Schuster can become a star. We know he’s got talent. Scantling can get down the field faster than most players in the NFL. We know he has skills.
Losing Hill
Travis Kelce will still be around along with Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle, and Demarcus Robinson. At this point, questioning the Chiefs with Hill gone is just pure disrespect to Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs have plenty of pieces on the offensive end that can produce. It’s up to the defense to play better this season. It has nothing to do with losing Hill.
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