The Chiefs sign _____________. The Chiefs sign _________________. You can fill in the blank because it seems to happen daily. And even before the last two days of roster moves, we had countless draft analyses on every known platform and sports talk show to absorb. While we are still combing through draft grades, favorites, reaches, speculation, and evaluation of each team’s picks, Brett Veach was already on to the next phase.
There is, of course, no shortage of armchair general managers letting their thoughts known on social media and discussion boards about the Chiefs drafts and recent singings across the internet too. Chiefs fans are not immune to the speculation and comments on their individual thoughts on the work of Brett Veach.
Hero or villain, that’s the life of a general manager, and there seems to be little in-between. However, Brett Veach is on a tear and he doesn’t appear to be done. It is quite possible that before I finish this article, the Chiefs will sign another player. It could be cast-off or depth player, but I’m not sure any other NFL team is as active. Has any other NFL been as active with roster moves since Veach took command?
Brett Veach has done, in his short time as the General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs, what his predecessors failed to achieve. He has ushered in the golden age of Chief fandom. Since being handed the reins in July of 2017, Veach has attacked the position with reckless abandon. With another, rather clever, draft under his belt, this whiz kid has embarrassed those who came before him with the swiftness he has put this team in the class of a perennial Super Bowl contender.
Only the seventh GM in Chiefs history, Veach has left names like John Dorsey, Scott Pioli (ugh) and even the once heralded Carl Peterson to shame. Yes, Veach did benefit from some of Dorsey’s moves, but the finesse with which Veach has maneuvered the Chiefs into the class of the AFC should be acknowledged.
Every draft pick and signing will not turn into a pro-bowl caliber player, it just won’t happen, but the value that Veach has found in the draft and off the street has been impressive. To those who are hyper-critical of Veach, tell me one GM of an NFL team you think can replace him? I cannot come up with one myself. Why? Because Brett Veach is a genius and has proven that time and time again. Let’s look at some highlights of his short tenure as GM.
- Directly linked to the Mahomes signing and was one of the biggest supporters of him being originally drafted back in 2017 before he was GM
- The Honey Badger- #1 reason this defense is better than pre-Badger days.
- Frank Clark- Love or hate the numbers, big part of the defensive turnaround.
- Re-signing Chris Jones after extending Mahomes to the biggest sports contract ever. This alone deserves applause, I was sure Jones was gone.
- Extending the Cheetah
- Extending Travis Kelce
This list could go on, of course, but this list alone nearly exceeds any accomplishments from a GM of any other NFL team. When the Chiefs have a deficiency, Veach attacks. The offensive line this off-season is a great example. He must have the Super Bowl loss playing non-stop in his head. It is clear when there is a position of need or in this case, one that cost the Chiefs a championship, Veach will find a way to fix it.
Under previous GMs, Chiefs fans have witnessed amazing defensives (the 1990s) paired with miserable offensives and amazing offensives (early 2000s) with record-setting poor defensives. The Chiefs seemed to never be able to put all the pieces together at the same time, until Veach.
I, for one, am not convinced Veach is done with this off-season’s maneuvers. It appears the almost every time a player of note is cut, the Chiefs are either signing them or heavily engaged in an effort to sign. I’m not fully on board with the Julio Jones stuff. Brett has another move or two coming, you can sense it and come to expect it.
There is a big splash left, I believe, because there is still some cash in the Chiefs coffers. Maybe it’s re-signing Schwartz or Breeland or maybe there is something on the horizon that will be as equally impressive as the Orlando Brown Jr. acquisition, time will tell.
As Chiefs fans, we can rest assured, if there is money and need, Veach will be on it. So, Brett Veach is a genius and we, as fans, need to appreciate the team we watched in back-to-back Super Bowls, as well as, the man who assembled it. The man, who every waking moment appears to be working towards field a team heading for a third Super Bowl appearance. We need to Trust in Veach.
