The Now Moment

I think he could get closer to 50% of defensive snaps. He can play both spots imo. If he earns it, he may take more reps than star. He will have to earn it though and I’d much rather have solid depth than scraps behind our starters. If a DT does go down, we won’t be screwed up front. I’m sure they will give him plenty of opportunity though.

He has the brute strength to manhandle guys. Him and Oliver will be so fun to watch

Most fans only watch to see who sacked a QB. Run stuffs and disruptiveness are usually overlooked. 35 tackles in his rookie season while playing only 38% of defensive snaps and he had 91 tackles his last year at Stanford. The kid is good. He needs more playing time this year though. Especially aligned next to Oliver. Hoping we see him breakout this year!

You didn’t read carefully did you? I said the person I initially responded to (which wasn’t you) ignored all of his off the field work which is what the entire post was about. I don’t know why you are jumping in and saying flame away?

The OP was giving credit to the player for his off the field work and the person I responded to disregarded the post and only mentioned his on-field play... We cant just take a second to just talk about a young mans off the field work can we?

Or ya know we could praise the kid for being a good human being which are hard to come by these days it seems like. Don't downplay the importance of being a good human being that cares about others and the community. There are too few of them. It's disappointing that a lot of fans only care about what players do on the field but their off of the field work is more important to our society/real life and it just gets brushed under the rug. Proud to have him on the team. Thanks for the post. A quality young man we have and someone I hope will be a leader on the team and in the community.

Glenn, Woods and Incognito leaving was difficult to replace in one season. They remade the front but I have no clue who will start where. The competition will be interesting to watch. The bottom end talent on the team in general is significantly better. Hoping the depth is as real as it looks on paper.

Agree with all of the above. Bell will have to be a magician behind that offensive line and AB will do well I'm sure but can he keep the drama down? I like what we did. It's going to be fun watching all of these new players. If our youth continues to develop, we are in for a breakthrough.

Ideally he only runs when the other team messes up and leaves him without a spy along with the occasional flush out of the pocket scramble to extend plays on third down. He'll be even more effective running the ball if the running backs can bounce back this season and do a nice job as a committee.

The roster turnover is significant and yet fans still want more. It's hard to find everything in one offseason but they've done a solid job from the looks of it so far.

You disregarded almost everything I said and replied with you're wrong, he's talented and huge? 26,000 posts and this is your argument haha. I didn't say Oliver was Donald. I said he compared to Randle and Donald's quickness which helps him explode into the backfield quickly and blow up any type of play, run or pass. Lawrence is quick for his size but isn't close to the quickness that Oliver has. You also disregarded my point about bigger DT's athleticism and quickness tending to fall off earlier in their careers than smaller guys and bigger tackles taking more plays off. Is Lawrence going to run 40 yards down the field full sprint to make a tackle and then line up for the next snap and give another 100%? Oliver did that for Houston and I expect him to bring that motor here too. Oliver is a 3 down lineman and Lawrence is not. This was one of the Lawrence's main flaws. You said how you weren't concerned with a 3 tech, you wanted a stud in the middle. A 3 tech can be a stud in the middle...didn't address this part either. Quickness is probably the most coveted attribute for a 3 tech DT to blow by the lineman with no help from the offensive tackle who has to block the DE. Oliver has this in spades. He's a perfect fit for the scheme. Lawrence fits more on the other side where he would take on mostly double teams. Still a valuable position but a lesser one. We have 2 players that are more suited for that position. Jordan Phillips is a big athletic DT that we have on the roster already. We lost our 3 tech in Williams...how were you not concerned with that spot? We are an attacking 4-3 defense, it's one of the most important positions for that scheme. We want to provide pressure with our front 4 as fast as possible. Oliver's value in our scheme vs. Lawrence's value in our scheme isn't really that close. In a league where QBs are becoming more and more athletic. They want a guy who is going to chase the QB down every second he has the ball. Relentless pursuit. Lawrence just doesn't fit that description.

Here's where you lose me. You're basing who you'd take on size and not talent. Size no longer matters at the defensive tackle spot with the advancement of techniques. Smaller quicker guys can be more disruptive, Aaron Donald and John Randle say hi. Bigger guys also tend to lose their quickness much faster in their careers. Dareus and Haynesworth turned into Jabba the Hutt after they got paid. Bigger isn't necessarily always better. They usually take more plays off while smaller guys have the motor to play more snaps with high intensity. The game is evolving and behemoth defensive tackles aren't a necessity. Also, a 3 tech is what we were missing after Williams' retirement. 3 techs can absolutely be the stud in the middle, again, Donald and Randle say hi. As for Ngata, I like him a lot but if I have a chance at an Aaron Donald or John Randle in a league that just had a rookie throw for 50 plus tds...I'm taking Donald/Randle.

They did make the playoffs with a garbage team the first year...do none of the coaches get any credit for that? And at least they are willing to admit mistakes and correct them quickly. It's like some fans expect every move to be the right move or they should be fired. Just unrealistic expectations.

Why are fans one way or the other? Balance is nice. Chiefs had a great passing game but they didn’t make the super bowl. Not enough balance. On offense and defense you have to be adaptable. Some people need to learn the definition of that word and apply it to their lives.

I want to see what Johnson looks like. I wonder how they plan to use Him with that size. Looks like the weight room could serve him well but do you try to make him leaner and make him more of a linebacker or add to it and throw him in at end?

I agree trades are tricky and trade opportunities are always available but it's more about the right player/cost for this team right now. Cooper would have to come in and be fantastic to be worth trading next year's first for and then giving him the biggest wide receiver contract ever. That's a lot of pressure on Cooper. Could be the perfect fit and be the guy for Allen, could be a major set back to the team and its future. Are we sure we want to make a deal like that before we know what we have with the 5 new receivers we brought in (Brown, Beasley, Sills, Williams and Roberts)? Foster is going into year two and Jones into year three. Some people talk about them as if they've peaked already. I'd rather see some action with the group we have first before pulling the trigger on a move like that. Clearly, all options are being explored.

I understand the situation. However, you must have the opportunity to trade and it has to be the right player at the right cost. I would not trade our 1st round pick next year for cooper when there is a potentially great class of wide receivers/weapons coming out next year. That could be a player you pair with Allen for the next decade. Cooper will have already been on his 3rd team if we make a deal. That’s raising a lot of red flags. I understand the need to have more talent around Allen but it has to be the right player at the right cost. Antonio Brown was the right cost but the wrong player. AJ Green is a free agent next season. If we were to trade for a top guy, he could be the target. Bengals are a rebuilding team and we are loading up for a run. He could cost less because he is 30 and on the last year of his deal. Availability is a question mark but for a rebuilding bengals team, a draft pick may be more important to them. He’s a more appropriate target IMO but patience is necessary. There’s months before they play a game and teams haven’t been able to evaluate all of their new pieces yet.

I’m pretty sure that winning games now is part of the plan haha. They added a ton of talent this offseason. They redid almost half the team. For some of the fans here to criticize about them not grabbing a 5th new wide receiver this offseason is a bit absurd. They had a tall order going in to the offseason and with what resources and players they had available to them, they did quite well. If we have a run game again and Allen improves only slightly coupled with an improved defense, why couldn’t they make the playoffs or be right there? We saw a much less talented team make it two years ago. Would much rather grab a receiver in round 1 next year and have him on a rookie contract than give up our 1st round pick for a $20 million receiver. They’rebuilding for long term success...doesn’t mean they need to have a top 5 passing attack right away.

Or we could show some patience and draft a guy next year and not have to spend $20 million. I get fans are antsy but it’s not the best option for sustained success IMO. Build through the draft.

I guess Duke Williams isn’t getting a chance to compete for a job? We also have a 6’6” tight end and drafted a 6’4” target for Allen. I guess they don’t count either? It’s like you haven’t watched Gronk destroy this team for years. The patriots didn’t have a tall wide receiver, just guys that can create separation and space. The chiefs are built on speed not height. Bring in guys that can get open so our Qb doesn’t need to make a perfect pass every time, that’s how you really help him.

He lost weight last season and looked much more athletic and disruptive. With more of a push up the middle from Oliver, our edge rushers should have an easier time getting to the QB. Shaq has improved from year to year. Why all of a sudden does his ceiling stop here? In a rotational role, he was quite productive last season. His biggest limiting factor is his health. I'm not saying we shouldn't go after Ansah but I'm interested in seeing if he can continue to improve.

So guys can't adjust into different schemes? Lawson lost weight and became faster/more effective last season. He was all over the field in some games. Players can build on progress and improve. Just because somebody is something doesn't mean they can't become something else. That's a very limiting mindset you have there.

I’m actually interested in seeing if Lawson has improved his pass rushing abilities. His game got considerably better last year. Doesn’t mean I don’t want Ansah but I’d prefer a 1 year deal.

He plays much bigger than 5'7", that's for sure. He's 203 pounds, that's pretty built for a guy 5'7". His quickness and ability to run through tackles is a lethal combination, hence his success in college. Those are translatable attributes into the NFL that mean something for a running back. A 40 time isn't as translatable. How many times a game do running backs sprint in a straight line? His cuts/jukes were decisive and explosive and just made tacklers look silly, just like we see with Shady. I think Beane took this year's Harrison Phillips to learn from a great veteran that's already on the team. What better guys to learn from than two of the best long lasting running backs in this league? I like Devin's chances to be a big impact player by the later half of the season. Who knows, injuries happen and we do have two old backs. He could be the starter by then...If Oliver, Ford and Singletary can be impact players this year, then Beane did his job. This is assuming Mccoy and Gore both make the team, which I think they will. Can't wait to see this kid in camp. I liked Montgomery too but this kid looks like a better fit with Mccoy on the roster.

If you think you can discipline those types of players so they don't get a ton of penalties...there can never be too many