New quarterback, significant departures, and draft picks shape the Kansas City Chiefs' surprising power ranking. Can Mahomes' recovery elevate their standing?
The Kansas City Chiefs missed the postseason in 2025, and the offseason was full of moves, both good and bad.
Some of the departures from Kansas City include Leo Chenal, Jaylen Watson, Bryan Cook, Trent McDuffie, Isiah Pacheco, Gardner Minshew and Hollywood Brown.
Brown was the latest Chiefs free agent to sign a new deal as he inked a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Chiefs made a bit of a surprising trade by acquiring quarterback Justin Fields in exchange for a draft pick, which likely means Fields will be the QB2 with Minshew going to the Arizona Cardinals.
And, of course, the biggest of all is the signing of Seahawks running back and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III.
All in all, it's been a busy offseason, and Eric Edholm of NFL.com had his post-free agency power rankings.
In it, he had the Chiefs at No. 14, which is five spots above where they were previously.
The biggest reason why they are this low is that a lot hinges on the recovery of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who suffered a torn ACL towards the end of the season.
Tight end Travis Kelce is back for another season, and the Chiefs acquired an extra first-round pick after sending cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams.
Still, Edholm is concerned not just about how Mahomes recovers, but the defense.
"The pass rush remains an issue, and Kansas City might need another receiver, but the secondary is probably the biggest gap after all the departures. It wouldn't be shocking at all to see the Chiefs use one of their two first-round picks (Nos. 9 and 29) on a cornerback. "
The Chiefs were mocked to Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love, but the signing of Walker changes that. There were some wondering if Oregon tight end Kenyon Sediq was going to be the kelce replacement, but the first pick will likely either be a WR (Carnell Tate, possibly) or a secondary piece.
The Chiefs are third in the AFC West in these power rankings, with the Denver Broncos at No. 3 and the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 11, so it looks like a tough climb for Kansas City.
The good news is that, if Mahomes returns at the same level, none of this matters. And, the Chiefs have a pair of first-round picks at their disposal, which could result in a playmaker on both sides of the ball, or a chance to double-up and add pieces to a suddenly-depleted defense.