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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (10-7)
LAST SEASON: After starting 5-0 Youth Fabian Moreau Jersey , Chiefs wilted midway through season, only to finish strong and win back-to-back AFC West titles for first time in franchise history. But age of roster showed in playoff collapse against Tennessee, leading to major offseason overhaul. Chiefs traded QB Alex Smith to Redskins and malcontent CB Marcus Peters to Rams to acquire draft picks, content to turn QB job to second-year pro Patrick Mahomes II. They also signed WR Sammy Watkins to add some additional pop. On defense, they parted with longtime LBs Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali and signed LB Anthony Hitchens in attempt to get younger. Plenty of work left to shore up defense that was among worst in NFL last season.
THEY NEED: CB, LB, DL, S, WR, TE.
THEY DON'T NEED: QB Dave Robinson Jersey , RB, OL, P, K.
POSSIBLE FIRST PICK: CB Isaiah Oliver, Colorado, DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma; CB Carlton Davis, Auburn; DL Hercules Mata'afa, Washington State.
OUTLOOK: Good luck trying to guess what Chiefs will do in draft. This will be first time GM Brett Veach calls shots, and trading up for Mahomes last season means he'll do it without first-round pick. First selection is No. 54 overall Denico Autry Jersey , but trades of Smith and Peters means they have two apiece in third and fourth rounds. That gives them five picks among first 124 as Chiefs attempt to shore up leaky defense. Could also try to add wide receiver or tight end to provide even more playmakers for Mahomes and Co., especially given way offense was rendered impotent by injuries in playoff loss to Titans.
When Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell played the “fake news” card earlier this week in response to a report that he has told teammates he’ll show up and sign his franchise tender on Monday, Bell opted to keep his real plans to himself. And so, with 10 days until the Steelers travel to Cleveland for the first game of the regular season, Bell remains unsigned and unprepared and there’s a lingering sense of uncertainty as to when he’ll grab a helmet and get to work.
Bell’s agent already has said publicly that, “barring something exceptional,” Bell will arrive the week before Week One. So whether it’s Monday or Sunday or Saturday or Friday, Bell’s agent already has created the impression that Bell’s return is imminent. So when Bell shouts “fake news!” in response to a suggestion that Monday is the day, it seems odd that we wouldn’t finish the thought.
But Bell, for whatever reason DeShone Kizer Jersey , chooses to maintain a mystery regarding his status, for reasons neither obvious nor apparent. The Steelers won’t give him a long-term deal to get him to show up because they can’t; that door slammed against the frame on July 16. In theory, the Steelers could offer him more money on a one-year deal. At this point, though, why would they? The time to use extra cash or other terms on a one-year offer to lure him to Latrobe has come and gone.
And given Bell’s agent’s on-the-record comments about when Bell likely will arrive (followed by no on- or off-the-record claims to the contrary), it’s hard to sell anyone on the idea that Bell actually is considering staying away and skipping out on weekly checks in excess of $855,000.
So there’s currently every reason to think Bell will be back soon. And there’s currently no reason for Bell to quibble with reports regarding when he’ll be back, unless he truly intends to return Monday but genuinely believes he has said nothing to any teammates that would give away his plan. Which would make the news technically fake but ultimately true.
Through it all, the Steelers have the power to give Bell and everyone else a late-summer surprise, by ripping the one-year contract offer away just as Bell is poised to put a pen to it. That would be the ultimate boss/prick move Johnny Unitas Jersey , depending on one’s perspective. There’s still no reason to think the Steelers would do it, in part because they’re keeping their cards a lot closer to the vest on this one than Bell.
Which means that it would still be wise to keep one eye open on the possibility that the Steelers will decide to save $14.54 million, to proceed with James Conner as the lead tailback, and to thrust Bell into the open market at a time when rosters are set, budgets are exhausted, and cap money may be scarce.
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