The National Football League is always evolving. Teams who dominated the prior season see vital players leave in free agency and struggle to get back to form. Likewise, organizations who found themselves at the bottom of the totem pole have great offseasons adding players via trades, free agency, and the draft, and are the talk of the NFL. We witnessed this very thing happen in 2018 with the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Kansas City lit the football world on fire in 2018, becoming must-see television with MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, while Jacksonville, who came one game away from playing in the Super Bowl in 2017, could only win five games in 2018.

The common denominator in both of these situations is the players. It’s the guys who make up the 53-man roster who are the ultimate deciding factor of a team’s success. Yes, I know coaches play major roles also. They are the ones who set the scheme, coach up the players, and call the plays.

Another crucial piece is the general manager, as he is the one tasked with the addition and subtraction in the overall equation of making the team better. But the players are the ones on the field and are the grinders of the group. It is their effort, or lack thereof, that bridges all these things together.

With all that said, there is also one thing we must consider. It is not only the overall teams that can improve or regress from year to year. At times, the production of the players themselves also fluctuates. There is also the player that is traded or finds himself buried in the depth chart, gets his shot, and has a breakout year.

Kansas City Chiefs player history

Kansas City is no stranger to either of these situations and has found themselves on both ends of the spectrum. The Chiefs have lost players, who have gone on to find success and have added others who were better than advertised.

Neil Smith

Neil Smith comes to mind as a player who went on to find success on another team. The All-American defensive end out of Nebraska and second overall pick in 1988 by the Chiefs is one of the best to play his position. While with the team, he was a five-time Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro in 1993. He also obtained the NFL sack leader title in 1993, bringing down the QB 15 times. Smith joined the Denver Broncos in 1997 where he went on to win two Super Bowls.

Jamaal Charles

Jamaal Charles is the perfect example of a player who took his shot and ran with it, literally. Kansas City drafted Charles in the third round in 2008 as a back up to Larry Johnson. The Chiefs released Johnson during the 2009 season. Charles stepped up, took over, and never looked back.

He is in the discussion as the best running back to ever wear a Chiefs uniform. The electrifying RB retired earlier this year after signing a one-day contract with Kansas City. It would not surprise me if he ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.

Priest Holmes

Once in a while, a team can find a diamond in the rough. Maybe it’s because of the scheme the player was put in or simply because he was underutilized by the previous coach. Priest Holmes is such a player for the Chiefs. The Baltimore Ravens signed Holmes in 1997 as an unrestricted free agent. Four years later, after rushing for a little over 2,000 yards total, he was released by the team.

Kansas City signed Holmes in 2001, and he was a whole different player. In his first year with the team, he rushed for 1,555 yards and had eight rushing touchdowns. Add the 614 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns, and he almost equaled the total production he had with the Ravens. And if that’s not enough, he won the title of NFL rushing leader, made the Pro Bowl, and was named a First-Team All-Pro.

Holmes is the only other player that could rival Charles as the best RB in franchise history. To this day, you can walk into Arrowhead Stadium and see the Chiefs Kingdom sporting the #31 jerseys.

Players to watch in 2019

Heading into the 2019 season, Kansas City is going to have a few players that will fit into these categories. Let’s take a look at a few players who can likely see themselves in the same situations as the players mentioned above.

Frank Clark

It’s no secret that Frank Clark is one of the best rushers in the league. What can come as a surprise, though, is just how much better he can be with the Chiefs.

The player that he is more likely replacing is the infamous Dee Ford. And like Ford, he will now benefit from playing alongside Chris Jones. Chris Jones commands a double team on practically every play, and because of such, Ford’s production improved majorly. Playing alongside Jones is the critical factor in my reasoning behind my belief that Clark will have a breakout year.

I am one of the few who believe the Kansas City Chiefs defense has improved from last season. Throw in the mix the new coordinator, coaches, and added pieces in the offseason, and it’s easy to see why we should keep an eye on Clark.

Demarcus Robinson

Look, I know Demarcus Robinson hasn’t had eye-popping numbers. He was the number four receiver in 2018 behind Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, and Chris Conley. But Conley is no longer with the team and Hill will likely be suspended for a good part of the season. That leaves Watkins as the number one WR, who will ideally be getting the double coverage along with tight end Travis Kelce. A result of this will be Robinson getting more targets and better numbers.

Mahomes already has built chemistry with “D-Rob”, and who could forget the connection on the famous “no-look pass” against the Ravens.

Damien Williams

I will close things out with RB Damien Williams. The 5″11, 224 pound back was added to the roster on March 22, 2018. Kansas City’s starting back at the time was Kareem Hunt, and Spencer Ware held the role of backup. We all know the story: Hunt was released, Ware got injured, and Willams took over. In only three official starts, Williams finished the season with 416 total yards and six touchdowns. Just imagine what he can do in a full season with a year knowing the playbook!

Just like Holmes before him, I believe now as the starting RB, Williams will get his time to shine.

Training camp is around the corner and with it, the buzz around players making plays. While this list is not of the only Kansas City Chiefs players who I believe will have good years, it contains three of the ones I am most excited to see.

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