Kansas City Chiefs‘ offseason wasn’t just about shoring up gaps. It was a full-blown, red-alert fortress build around Patrick Mahomes—a move born not just out of strategy, but necessity. Let’s be real: Mahomes spent much of 2024 dodging edge rushers like Loid Forger dodges assassination attempts. He took a career-high 32 sacks last season—too many for a QB with three rings and generational talent. That’s why a 2025 Draft prospect who has allowed just one sack across 965 snaps is drawing red-hot interest from the Chiefs.
With Rashee Rice’s knee still whispering ‘I need a minute’ after last season’s abrupt end, the Chiefs aren’t gambling on weapons. They’re doubling down on protection. And that’s where Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon’s 6’4”, 315-pound left tackle, enters the chat.
“Josh Conerly makes a lot of sense…best available tackle.” When Daniel Jeremiah dropped that line on NFL Network, it hit like All Might’s Texas Smash—sudden, powerful, and game-altering. This isn’t your average o-line prospect. His 8.85 Relative Athletic Score makes him an elite physical outlier. “He’s got quick feet, hands like a Jedi, and the IQ of a Death Note schemer,” one scout told ESPN. Translation? Mahomes might finally get to sip a latte in the pocket without bracing for impact.
Conerly’s versatility is Andy Reid catnip. He’s a zone-blocking technician, a power-run mauler, and oh yeah—he caught a touchdown pass in 2022. ‘Who says linemen can’t be showmen?’ Oregon’s OC laughed postgame. For a coach who once let Dontari Poe throw a TD, Reid’s probably already drawing up a Conerly reverse pass in his Waffle House menu playbook.
Rice’s redemption arc: From sideline tears to Mahomes academia
Let’s rewind. Through four games in 2024, Rice was on a 1,200-yard pace, catching fire as Mahomes’ WR1. Then the ACL tear. Sudden. Brutal. A gut punch to a Chiefs offense just finding its post-Hill groove. But the narrative isn’t ending in the trainer’s room. According to OTA reports, Rice is already running crisp routes and catching live passes.
He’s a cyborg, Mahomes grinned in a presser. He’s joined now by rookie Xavier Worthy, who brings Olympic speed, and Travis Kelce—still stiff-arming Father Time like it’s a primetime hurdle.
Still, there’s intrigue. Can Rice bounce back with the same explosiveness? How does he coexist with Hollywood Brown’s deep-threat arsenal? We’re focused on ourselves, Rice said last summer, invoking a Haikyuu!!-esque ‘Fly High’ resolve. And KC’s betting he will—because 79 catches as a rookie wasn’t an accident. It was a warning.
Make no mistake—Kansas City isn’t rebuilding. They’re upgrading. Drafting Conerly gives Mahomes peace of mind and cleaner throwing lanes. A healthy Rice adds firepower. Worthy brings vertical chaos. And there’s still $13.1M in cap room if Brett Veach wants to pull a late-stage Thanos and snatch up a veteran corner.
‘Run the damn ball…but also, protect my QB like he’s the last slice of pizza’, Reid probably muttered in a team meeting. And with that mindset, this team isn’t just aiming for another ring—they’re aiming for mythos. Plus Ultra, Chiefs Kingdom. The dynasty isn’t dead. It’s evolving.
