3 Big Changes Chiefs Must Make in 2022 Offseason

For many teams, making it to a conference championship game represents a successful season.

However, the Kansas City Chiefs have lofty standards considering their achievements in recent years. They were looking to make a third consecutive appearance in the Super Bowl and win their second AFC Championship in three years.

Instead, their season ended with a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at the penultimate hurdle.

Now, the Chiefs' offseason has started a bit earlier than it did in recent years. And they'll need to figure out what moves they can make to get them back to the Super Bowl next year.

Here's a look at three moves Kansas City should make this offseason to help it do that.

Tyreek Hill is one of the best wide receivers in the league and Travis Kelce is among the few elite tight ends.

However, the Chiefs' offense could benefit from having a strong No. 3 receiving option for quarterback Patrick Mahomes, especially in games in which Hill and/or Kelce get shut down by an opposing defense.

No other wide receivers on the Kansas City roster have stepped up to fill that role. Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle have provided solid depth, but neither is a top playmaker who could take the offense to another level.

There could be some talented wide receivers on the free-agent market this offseason, such as Chris Godwin, JuJu Smith-Schuster and others. But if Kansas City hopes to sign one, it may need to clear some cap space, as it's currently projected to have $14.28 million available, per Over the Cap.

Even if the Chiefs can't sign one of the top-tier wide receivers who may end up being available, they could still find another one who provides an upgrade over Hardman and Pringle. And that should help Kansas City's aerial attack become even more dangerous.

When Chiefs general manager Brett Veach held his end-of-season press conference on Tuesday, he made it clear what one of his offseason objectives will be: Kansas City needs to get stronger on defense.

"I don't think it's far-fetched to say we'll prioritize the lines like we always do," he told reporters. "Knowing that we have a good offensive line in place, defensive line probably makes the most sense."

The Chiefs had 31 sacks this season, which was the fourth fewest in the league. So they need to do a better job of putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks, which would likely also help the rest of their defense have more success in the process.

Chris Jones is one of the top defensive linemen in the NFL, but Kansas City needs to add stronger players alongside him. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Chiefs bolster this unit via free agency, as that could provide them with an immediate upgrade up front.

Another area on defense which could be improved is the Kansas City secondary. It ranked 27th in the NFL in pass defense (251.4 yards allowed per game) during the 2021 season, and the team will be looking to fare better than that in 2022.

The Chiefs used a fourth-round draft pick on L'Jarius Sneed in 2020, and he's developed into a solid cornerback. But it may be time for the team to use more draft capital on the position (potentially even a first-round draft pick this year) to improve the secondary.

Although Kansas City holds the No. 30 overall pick this year and could miss out on the best cornerbacks in the class, there could still be a strong CB for it to acquire when it's on the clock. It's possible someone like Michigan's Daxton Hill could be available in that range.

And the Michigan Wolverines star also has experience at safety, which could help the Chiefs if Tyrann Mathieu leaves in free agency.

By pairing Sneed with a rookie CB—and perhaps also adding a low-cost defensive back in free agency—Kansas City could have a much-improved secondary for 2022 and beyond.