Chiefs Catch Shade for Crushing Offseason Move

The Kansas City Chiefs are enjoying the offseason and have just a little time left before training camp kicks off. It’s that calm before the storm, when there’s still about two months left until the Chiefs’ regular 2025-26 season kicks in, and preparations are quietly being made behind the scenes.

It’s not really an exciting time in the NFL, but it will be soon, so hang on for just a few weeks. The downtime gives those in the NFL world a chance to study each team’s roster and offseason moves and look at which teams they think are in the best shape going into the new season.

Thankfully, pretty much everyone can agree that the Chiefs are contenders and will be for a long time. They’re really the team to beat in the 2025-26 season, which is their usually spot. But, there’s some skepticism out there about how the Chiefs have handled their offseason moves. Because the team is already strong, they didn’t need to move mountains, but some of their choices are getting questioned ahead of the new season.

Chiefs Get Graded Fairly Low

If one were to grade the Kansas City Chiefs for their offseason moves, what would they get? In a story published on Thursday, July 10, by ESPN, Seth Walder does just that and grades each NFL team for their offseason choices and moves.

Let’s get to it. Walder gives the Chiefs a B- for their offseason moves, which isn’t ideal. One move he really liked was signing quarterback Gardner Minshew, so that’s a positive thing.

But, the one move he didn’t like was inking offensive tackle Jaylon Moore, even calling it “risky.” Regarding the Moore decision, Walder says “the Chiefs opted for former 49ers backup Jaylon Moore for $15 million per year (and $21 million fully guaranteed), a risky move.”

He adds that “not only was Moore not a starter (to be fair, he was behind 11-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams), but when he played, our metrics were not a fan. Moore has a career 83% pass block win rate at tackle and was at 81% last season, which would have ranked third worst at the position had he qualified.” So, he’s really not a fan of this choice.

But, Walder praises the Minshew pick. “Perhaps the Chiefs’ best value move was signing Minshew to a one-year, $1.2 million contract,” Walder notes in the piece. “Considering how valuable a backup quarterback can be, getting Minshew — who earned $15 million last season with the Raiders – at that contract was a total bargain.”

A Remaining Need in Kansas City

The Chiefs could use a solid offensive guard going into the new season. That’s what Josh Edwards of CBS Sports says in a piece published on Sunday, July 13.

“Kansas City has added some competition along its offensive line by signing Jaylon Moore and drafting Josh Simmons after trading away Joe Thuney. The left guard spot vacated by Thuney is currently filled by Kingsley Suamataia,” he states. “At the very least, the Chiefs should add competition in that role. Running back would be another consideration if the Chiefs had not shown a willingness to invest little in the position since Clyde Edwards-Helaire did not pan out. Defensive tackle rounds out the top three.”

So, that’s an area to look for the Chiefs to improve upon before September, hopefully.