Signature Moves Made By Chargers, Raiders, Broncos To Ground The Chiefs Offense All Failed
March of 2022 was a busy time for teams in the AFC West with designs on stopping the Kansas City Chiefs.
Everyone saw how the Chiefs were suddenly and seemingly diminished following their trade of top receiver Tyreek Hill. So the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos were feeling good about themselves as they compared their concurrent moves to strengthen their defenses.
The Raiders, that fateful month, went out and signed defensive end Chandler Jones, fresh off five double-digit sack seasons the previous six years, to make their pass rush stronger.
The Broncos went out and signed defensive end Randy Gregory, coming off a season in which he delivered six sacks in 11 starts, to make their pass rush stronger.
And the Chargers went out and signed cornerback J.C. Jackson, who had corralled 22 interceptions the previous three years, to make their secondary better.
AFC West Continues Chasing Chiefs
These three teams chasing the Chiefs signed these three players to contracts worth a combined $203.5 million with the idea of stopping Patrick Mahomes.
And all of them -- all -- failed.
Nobody saw that possibility at the time. Nobody argued the strategy of the moves that seemed sound.
The Raiders were thinking they had a pretty effective pass rush with Maxx Crosby but adding Jones would make the rush dominant from both the right and left side.
The Broncos thought the same thing because they had Bradley Chubb so adding Gregory would bring pressure from either side.
And the Chargers were quite happy with Assante Samuel Jr. at cornerback so adding Jackson was going to make that secondary hard to pick on.
The moves suggested bad tidings for the Chiefs and their now weakened offense.
But on Wednesday we recognized tidings can be nothing but fake news.
J.C. Jackson A Chargers Free Agency Bust
Jackson is gone from Los Angeles now. He was traded to the New England Patriots on Wednesday.
Jones is no longer with the Raiders as he was released Sept. 30 amid what seemed like an increasingly troubled lifestyle.
And Gregory is on the trade block. Barring a team stepping forward and offering the Broncos a late-round pick for the player, he will be released by Thursday or Friday, coach Sean Payton said.
"None of it has been finalized yet but it's something we felt was best for our team timing-wise," Payton told reporters, "We just felt like with some of our younger players and where we're going, it was best for our team right now."
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 01: Randy Gregory #5 of the Denver Broncos leaves the field after the first half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on October 01, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Randy Gregory Available In Trade
And, meanwhile, the Chiefs moved forward. Unaffected. Undeterred.
They won the Super Bowl last season. They did it with Jones, Gregory and Jackson in the division. And they did it with Hill playing for the Dolphins.
The Chiefs are atop the division again this year with the Chargers one game behind and seeming to be the only possible competition for yet another division crown.
So what does this all say?
It should serve as a cautionary tale about what happens every NFL offseason. Big-name players are signed to huge contracts and everyone thinks it changes everything.
And then we find out much of the excitement that comes in spring often fades by winter.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 12: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs warms up as Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on before playing against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Mahomes and Reid Ultimate Chiefs Weapons
The other thing this says is the Chiefs have the ultimate insulation against the grand designs of their division rivals: They have Mahomes and coach Andy Reid.
The Chiefs today are 3-1 but are troubled because Mahomes is coming off a rough game against the Jets, and his receiver corps is not producing to any high degree.
So everyone is panicking, right?
Not really.
“We have a couple young guys we’re kind of bringing along, but I think they’re doing a pretty good job," Reid said Wednesday as if he's not sweating anything.
"We’re rotating a bunch of guys in there, so nobody’s gotten an extreme amount of catches. That’s just how it’s going to be. We have six or seven guys who can play, so we’re putting them all in here and there."
Mahomes admitted "I didn't play very well," against the Jets because he threw a couple of interceptions and underthrew some passes.
The quarterback went as far as saying "I just haven't played very good to start the season."
And, yet, it was Kansas City's three division rivals releasing and trading high-priced defensive talent in recent days. While the Chiefs resist the temptation to worry.
“You know," Reid noted, "we had 400 yards the week before, so somebody is getting open."