The Kansas City Chiefs are facing a serious realignment after the departure of star receiver Tyreek Hill. In arguably the NFL’s strongest division, the pressure is mounting – especially on quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Munich/Kansas City – The departure of star wide receiver Tyreek Hill marks the end of an era for the Kansas City Chiefs. Replacing the speedster adequately will be one of the big tasks for the team in the offseason.

The 28-year-old’s importance to the functioning of the Chiefs offence goes far beyond his purely individual qualities.

The value of his unprecedented matchup with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and congenial working relationship with tight end Travis Kelce was immense. Each made the other that little bit better; together they were more than the mere sum of their parts.

The gap that has been created will inevitably be felt in the new season. Both qualitatively and in terms of harmony.

Kansas City Chiefs: Hill departure forces team to rethink

With the loss of Hill, the Chiefs are counting on many things to fall into place in the short term to continue to be successful. For starters, Mahomes is expected to make the passing game, which was largely tailored to Hill, more diverse while also making it easier to integrate newcomers like JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Beyond that, the team is betting that head coach Andy Reid can, for the umpteenth time this offseason, field a passing game that works regardless of the kickoffs he has at his disposal.

And the franchise is also betting that the remaining market of wide receivers, as well as the numerous early draft picks, will provide them with one or more receivers that will help right away.

Shortly after Hill was traded, ex-Green Bay Packers receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling was already the first move to realign the offense.

Kansas City Chiefs: Valdes-Scantling suitable as Hill replacement?

“MVS” comes from reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers to ex-MVP Mahomes and at first glance even possesses similar skills to his predecessor. In terms of speed, the 27-year-old even topped Hill last season.

Valdes-Scantling put up 35.5 mph, the second-highest speed of any player, on his 75-yard receiving touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11, according to Sporting News. Only running back Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts was faster at 35.6 km/h in Week 15 against the New England Patriots. Hill didn’t even make the top 10 in 2021.

When he’s on the field, Valdes-Scantling has proven he can get behind defenses with his speed, be a deep threat. Last season, he averaged 16.5 yards per catch. In 2020, he was even more explosive, averaging 20.9 yards per caught pass. Still, only in his debut season in 2018 did he manage more than one game with over 100 receiving yards in the regular season (two).

And there already lies the problem of “MVS”. He acted very inconsistently, dropping all kinds of balls in important game situations over the years. According to Pro Focus Reference, he had more than five drops in two of the last four seasons, and as many as seven in 2020. In 2021, the receiver took a big leap forward and didn’t have a single drop.

On top of that, Valdes-Scantling has had to deal with a multitude of injuries. In the 2021 season, for example, he played in only 11 games.

So is “MVS” suitable as a direct Hill replacement? Despite some parallels, given his CV and lack of experience as a number one receiver, this is clearly a negative at the moment. So it looks like the new Chiefs offence will have to collectively absorb the departure of their star receiver.

Kansas City Chiefs: Full focus on the draft?

After the trade of Hill, the Chiefs have twelve picks in the upcoming draft. No other team has more. The franchise gets to select twice each in the first, second, third and fourth rounds.

The truckload of picks is undoubtedly a good chance to strengthen the squad, especially the receiving corps. This will also be much needed across the board. With Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle, two more receivers left the team.

Nevertheless, one should not be blinded by the pure value. With Hill, the Chiefs lost one of the best receivers in the league, who had a chemistry with his quarterback that was second to none in the league.

It is highly doubtful that an even remotely equivalent replacement will be found in the draft who can deliver right away as a rookie and put up Hill numbers in the process. Even if the current receiver class with prospects like Jameson Williams or Chris Olave seems promising. “Unicorns” like Cincinnati Bengals shooting star Ja’Marr Chase are anything but the norm.

So maybe the team needs to step it up again in free agency?

The US media is already speculating wildly. “If I was at the helm of the Chiefs today, I would be meeting with Odell Beckham Jr,” former New York Jets and Miami Dolphins general manager Mike Tannenbaum told “ESPN”. Tannenbaum pointed to the “tremendous pressure” on Mahomes and questioned the quality of the personnel available.

But that’s not all.

Kansas City Chiefs: Another star departure likely

In addition to Hill, the Chiefs are facing another painful velust. Safety Tyrann Mathieu, a mainstay in the pass defence, became a free agent and remains without a new team.

Should the Chiefs indeed not be able to re-sign Mathieu, they would lose two of their key players of the past years in one offseason.

Absolute performers who were the pillars of the franchise’s reboot and who at times elevated it to a level of play that hasn’t been achieved by the Missouri franchise in a long time.

The signing of safety Justin Reid suggests that the days of the “Honey Badger” in Kansas City are numbered. The next significant blow to the neck looms – and that’s with a defense that has steadily deteriorated since the 2019 Super Bowl win, allowing more yards and points per game in each of the past two seasons than it did the year before.

Kansas City Chiefs: top spot in AFC West at risk

Hill gone. Mathieu probably gone, too. And with it, the top spot in the loaded AFC West? That remains to be seen.

While the direct competition in the division all increased in star power and quality, the Chiefs are a lot weaker at this point than they were in previous years.

Russell Wilson in Denver, Davante Adams in Las Vegas and Khalil Mack in Los Angeles will do everything to prevent the Chiefs from winning their seventh division in a row.

And end another era in the process.