5 biggest hurdles the Broncos face in getting past the Chiefs

3. The Chiefs’ roster is borderline without flaw, and well-constructed financially

You look at a team like the Chiefs and you think, well, they’ve got to pay up at some point, right? They can’t possibly keep this whole band together forever, right?

Well, the Chiefs have been able to keep the band together and they remain in good position to do so. They are not in salary cap hell or even purgatory — the Chiefs are in the green as we head into the 2023 NFL offseason. They are currently $11 million under the salary cap according to Spotrac, and they obviously have flexibility within other contracts currently on the books to kick the can further down the road (where the NFL salary cap increases) on players who are already cornerstones of the franchise.

Yes, they made a trade last year to get Tyreek Hill out of town because they’d drawn a line in the sand on what they were willing to offer him. Yes, they let go of players like Charvarius Ward and Tyrann Mathieu, but they also utilized their free agency and NFL Draft assets exceptionally well.

The Chiefs’ 2022 NFL Draft class is outstanding, and they got contributions all season long from players taken early to guys who were taken in round seven. From top picks Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis to seventh-round running back Isiah Pacheco, the Chiefs’ rookie class contributed heavily to the team’s success in 2022-23.

The core of this roster is in place for the foreseeable future. Kansas City went from having an embarrassing offensive line in the Super Bowl a few years ago to now having one of the best units in the game. They have been able to plug skill players into the system and operate at a high level.

They take calculated risks, like trading for former Giants first-round pick Kadarius Toney, who played a massive role in Super Bowl LVII. There are things to learn from the way Brett Veach has operated, even if he’s fortunate to be building around Patrick Mahomes every year.