2017 Eagles Schedule Preview: Kansas City Chiefs

Bleeding Green Nation’s game-by-game preview of the Eagles' 2017 schedule continues today with Philadelphia's Week 2 opponent: the Kansas City Chiefs. (Click here for the Week 1 preview.)

The Eagles last played the Chiefs back in 2013. That was Andy Reid’s first game back at Lincoln Financial Field after being fired in Philadelphia. Now it’ll be Doug Pederson returning to Kansas City after spending a few years there as the team’s offensive coordinator.

It’ll be real interesting to see how Pederson fares against his former coach and mentor. One would think the Chiefs have an advantage since the Eagles head coach is modeled heavily after Reid. Then again, Pederson is familiar with how Reid prepares and handles certain situations.

Arrowhead Stadium figures to be a tough place to play, especially after the Eagles open their season with a road game against Washington. The Chiefs went 6-2 at home last year during their 12-4 season.

We’ll see how the Chiefs fare in 2017 following a bumpy offseason. Kansas City lost some of their big name talents and unexpectedly ousted their general manager. Meanwhile, starting quarterback Alex Smith is on the hot seat with the Chiefs having traded up to draft Patrick Mahomes in the first round.

Here’s a more in-depth look at the Chiefs from our SB Nation associates over at Arrowhead Pride.

Notable free agent additions:

NT Bennie Logan

Notable free agent departures:

NT Dontari Poe, WR Jeremy Maclin

Trades:

None

Draft picks expected to contribute as rookies:

Chiefs first round pick QB Patrick Mahomes is not expected to play (much) this season. Third round pick RB Kareem Hunt is a candidate to contribute early alongside Spencer Ware in the backfield.

Biggest offseason addition:

The Chiefs biggest addition for the franchise is Mahomes but for players expected to contribute in 2017 it’s NT Bennie Logan who is replacing Dontari Poe in the middle. The Chiefs run defense struggled in 2016 and Logan is expected to help them improve there (and LB Derrick Johnson coming back doesn’t hurt either).

Biggest storyline heading into training camp:

GM John Dorsey was fired a week after the Chiefs surprisingly cut Jeremy Maclin. The new GM will come in but the shock of it all has left a cloud over what had become one of the most stable franchises in the league.

Under-the-radar storyline heading into training camp:

Can Alex Smith save his job? It’s not talked about much but what happens if Alex Smith takes the Chiefs to the AFC Championship game? It would be hard to cut the guy who just took you further in the playoffs than any Chiefs QB since Joe Montana. It may be small but there’s a chance Smith can stave off Mahomes even if just for another year with a great season.

Notable injuries heading into training camp:

The return of Derrick Johnson from an Achilles injury is an important injury to watch, although all signs are positive heading into training camp. TE Travis Kelce also had offseason shoulder surgery.