The Kansas City Chiefs won 12 games and captured the AFC West division title this past season, making it all the way to the AFC Championship Game before ultimately falling to the New England Patriots.
With a young and ridiculously talented quarterback, the Chiefs are looking to improve upon what was a terrific season and make it all the way to the Super Bowl, but can they get over the hump?
In order for them to do so, a few players are going to need to take the next step.
Here are three Chiefs players who need to do just that going into 2019.
3. Damien Wilson
With Kansas City losing both Justin Houston and Dee Ford this offseason, they are going to need to find some answers defensively. Trading for Frank Clark and signing Tyrann Mathieu was a good start, but the Chiefs need more.
Damien Wilson will likely step in as a starting linebacker for Kansas City this coming season, which would represent the first full-time starting job of his NFL career.
He spent the first four seasons of his NFL tenure with the Dallas Cowboys and is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he registered 37 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, so he has not been all that productive.
For the Chiefs to improve upon this past season, they are going to need to take some steps defensively, and Wilson will be a part of that as he tries to be a part of a linebacking corps that is attempting to mitigate the loss of Houston.
2. Sammy Watkins
With Tyreek Hill's status still up in the air for Week 1 and beyond, the Chiefs may very well go into the season as Sammy Watkins as their No. 1 receiver, and if that happens, he certainly needs to be better than he was in 2018.
Of course, staying healthy would be a start, as Watkins was limited to just 10 games this past year and finished with 40 receptions for 519 yards and three touchdowns.
That's alright for a No. 3 receiver, but it's not even acceptable for a No. 2; let alone a No. 1.
There is no doubt Watkins has talent, as evidenced by his 2015 campaign with the Buffalo Bills when he caught 60 passes for 1,047 yards and nine scores, but since then, injuries and underwhelming performance across the board have made Watkins a virtual afterthought.
He can quickly change some minds if he comes up big in Hill's potential absence.
1. Damien Williams
The Chiefs began the 2018 campaign with Kareem Hunt in the backfield, but he was released after 11 games due to a domestic violence incident. Williams stepped in and rushed for 256 yards and three touchdowns, but he will need to be a heck of a lot better than that as the No. 1 back in 2019.
The good news is that Williams showed flashes in the playoffs, particularly in the Divisional Round against the Indianapolis Colts when he racked up 129 yards and a touchdown, but the 27-year-old has not had any other moments like that in his career.
Now, Williams will have the spotlight on him more than ever before, as he has never been a featured back and has never even totaled 300 yards rushing in a single season.
Sure, the Chiefs are about their passing game with Mahomes, but the ground game helps open that up, meaning that Williams will need to step up for Andy Reid's club this year.
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