It was a pretty good week for the Kansas City Chiefs!
After the third win of the preseason against the Minnesota Vikings on Friday night, it was that time of year, when NFL players vote to identify the best in the league heading into the 2021 NFL season. Two players of the Chiefs are in the top five in the final list.
Travis Kelce came out fifth, voted best tight end overall, claiming the title as the best pass-catching tight end in the NFL. Kelce set the all-time single-season mark for tight ends with 1,416 receiving yards in 2020. Kelce’s 105 receptions and 11 touchdowns were career-highs and he continued on in the playoffs with 31 catches for 360 yards and three TDs. Kelce is also the only player in the NFL with 90-plus receptions and 1,200-plus receiving yards in each of the last three seasons.
And finally, Patrick Mahomes has been voted as the No. 1 player in the NFL on the “Top 100 Players of 2021” rankings.
Mahomes reaches the top spot of the Top 100 after consecutive No. 4 rankings. At such a young age, he already accomplished so much it is incredible. He did not become only the face of the Chiefs franchise, but he slowly became the face of the NFL.
In 2020, Mahomes threw for 4,740 passing yards and 38 touchdowns in 15 games (14-1) to lead the Chiefs to their third straight AFC West title and Kansas City’s second Super Bowl. Mahomes has amazing results in his three seasons as a starter with a 38-8 regular-season record and a 6-2 playoff record… almost unreal.
Everything Mahomes does almost always seem like a miracle, even when they lose miserably in the last Super Bowl. At just 25 years old, being recognized as the best player out there is a huge achievement and he still has plenty of time for improvement, which is even scarier.
On the defensive side of the ball, a few cuts have been made at the beginning of last week. Chris Jones’ position change and the improvement and development of other young defensive players made Taco Charlton lose his spot on the roster. Indeed, the Chiefs released him last Monday.
Charlton joined the Chiefs last season after two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and one with the Miami Dolphins. He played in seven games as a backup with two sacks before a broken ankle ended his season too early.
“Taco is going to play in the league,” coach Andy Reid said. “He’s too good of a player not to. It just didn’t work out in this case.” “The way these cuts are set up, it’s a little different than in years past. You have to make these decisions [earlier]. That obviously was a tough decision. I’m hoping he hooks on with somebody or eventually comes back here”.
The Chiefs also cut two veterans, safety Will Parks and offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann, and younger players: the quarterback Anthony Gordon and linebacker Riley Cole.
Now it will be time to build the final 53 players roster before the season begins. The definition of the final team will be hard, as many players have performed very well during the preseason! Tough decisions in the hours ahead for Veach and Reid as they try to assemble the first 53 players of the 2021 Chiefs.
