Kansas City Chiefs 2016 Season Preview

(photo credit: cleveland.cbslocal.com)

The AFC West appears to be the Kansas City Chiefs to lose in 2016.  However, the AFC West also appears to be a very tough division in the 2016 season. The Chiefs do have a three some might consider four head monster at running back though. Jamaal Charles is working his way back into the lineup after tearing his ACL in 2015. Former Seattle Seahawk Spencer Ware appears to be the starting running back to begin the season. Charcandrick West will also see playing time after having a solid 2015 season after Charles went down.  As of right now the Chiefs still have Knile Davis as their fourth string back who is considered capable to be the main back for many teams in the NFL as well.

Kansas City hopes to see receivers Chris Conley and Albert Wilson step up to give Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce some help. Pro Bowl Tight End Kelce had 875 yards receiving and five touchdowns. Jeremy Maclin became the first receiver to record over a 1,000 yards receiving with Alex Smith as his quarterback. The offensive line gets better after signing Mitchell Schwartz in the off-season. Schwartz helps out the left side of the offensive line and will cover Alex Smith's blindside.  This is important in a division that features Von Miller and Khalil Mack. Justin Houston who is also in that discussion but not necessary to mention since he is on the Chiefs.

The defense took a step back after losing inside linebacker Josh Mauga for the season and Sean Smith to the Oakland Raiders. However, they were able to lock up Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali for a couple more years. This is key to the defense because these players are both veteran leaders on the team.  Hali helps because it appears Justin Houston will be out for at least the first six games of the season and the Chiefs defense depends on a heavy pass rush.

Younger outside linebacker Dee Ford hasn't quite showed that he can fill the outside linebacker role that Hali would leave behind.  If Ford wants to prove himself this is the season to due so. Former Defensive Rookie of the Year Marcus Peters returns to help out the secondary but there are question marks about the other corner spot on defense. There is hope that Phillip Gaines will be able to fill that spot now that Sean Smith is gone. Gaines was effective in 2014 and started out strong in 2015 before spending the season on the IR.

The defense gets a boost with Eric Berry signing the franchise tag.  Berry beat cancer and is effective for the Chiefs to stop the run as well as the pass. The former Tennessee Volunteer is also a leader on defense and is very respected throughout the team. The team will all look towards veteran quarterback Alex Smith to lead the team far.  Some people question his style of play and that he doesn't throw many deep passes while just game managing the team to victory.  Every year Alex Smith has quarterbacked the Chiefs his numbers have improved. He is also a dual threat quarterback that can use his legs to burn defenses as well. 2016 could be the Chiefs year to shine and it all depends on Alex Smith.