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They have a new quarterback and a new middle linebacker. They've released veterans Kenny Stabler Jersey , traded away one of the top cornerbacks in the league, signed wisely in free agency and loaded up on draft picks.

Sounds like a losing franchise trying to turn things around.

Try the two-time and defending AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs.

The slew of offseason moves began even before free agency, when the Chiefs agreed to trades that sent quarterback Alex Smith to the Redskins and cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams. But the pace of the dealing has hardly slowed down as the Chiefs remake an aging and expensive roster that was good enough to reach the playoffs last season but not good enough to beat Tennessee in the wild-card round.

That's why they signed wide receiver Sammy Watkins, cornerback David Amerson and middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens, and landed cornerback Kendall Fuller in the trade with Washington.

"We're not trying to win a Super Bowl four years from now. We're going out there and we're trying to win a Super Bowl next year," Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. "Whether that happens, I don't know, but I know that we're going to do everything we can to put our team in position to do so."

Many teams coming off back-to-back division titles would try to hold on a little longer. And the result would be a slow regression that would ultimately force the team to begin a complete rebuilding job anyway.

Veach, who took over for John Dorsey last summer, took a refreshingly different tack. He went after the trade market, was decisive in his convictions and landed his biggest priorities, even if he may have had to pay a premium to get Watkins and Hitchens in the door.

It was a sign the candid, confident Veach is going to be a far different GM than his predecessors in Kansas City.

"If we have shortcomings," Veach said, "we'll continue to work on those things. Our mindset is at every period to get our team in a position to win a Super Bowl. We have a lot of talent here. It's a lot of young talent, which is exciting for the fans, but we realize there may be some growing pains. But we have some guys that can straight up play football Rodney Hudson Jersey , and that's exciting."

There is no doubt an abundance of talent, especially on offense.

Patrick Mahomes II is poised to take over for Smith under center, and he showed flashes of his big arm and gamesmanship in a Week 17 victory over Denver. To ease the transition, the Chiefs added Watkins to what is arguably the best set of skill-position players in the division, headlined by NFL rushing king Kareem Hunt, Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce and speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

They also retained one of their own when they brought back bruising fullback Anthony Sherman.

"As a team, we've won a lot of games in the last few years," Mahomes said, "and we're bringing a lot of those guys back. And with the additions that we have added, I feel like we can have a very, very good offense. It's all going to start with how we prepare, especially at my position."

Yes, the Chiefs expected to have a very good offense, just as they did last season. But one of the big challenges this offseason has been to fix a defense that ranked among the worst in the league.

Hitchens was a good first step, and he'll step in to the void created by the release of the aging Derrick Johnson, the franchise's career tackles leader. Amerson and Fuller will help to cover the trade of Peters, and the draft picks netted this offseason will almost certainly be used on defense.

Still Orlando Brown Jr. Jersey , the question remains: Is that enough to make an appreciable improvement?

"We've got a great nucleus coming back. We've added some players that are top-notch," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said last week. "We're fired up about this whole thing. I'm not great at standing up and going, 'Hey, here we go!' But I'm ready to roll as we're sitting here in March."

Free-agent acquisition Sam Bradford and 10th overall draft choice Josh Rosen combined to provide a promising outlook for the Arizona Cardinals' quarterback situation.

After Bradford completed all six of his passes for 61 yards, Rosen went 10 of 16 for 107 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown to rookie Christian Kirk in a 20-15 preseason victory over New Orleans on Friday night.

Rosen gave himself mixed reviews, saying he wanted some throws back, made some "procedural" mistakes and at times held the ball too long. But he sounded pleased with his scoring strike, in which he bought time with his movement in the pocket and rifled a throw to Kirk.

"I had to put it kind of high and away where it's kind of a him-or-no one ball and he managed to snag it," Rosen said. "Christian made some great plays."

Kirk, the Cardinals' second-round draft choice, finished with four receptions for 49 yards.

"It seems like he has an extra gear on game days," Bradford said of Kirk. "He's got some burst. He's got some speed and it's really nice to see that."

Bradford said Rosen "looked pretty good to me. ... He is just extremely talented."

David Johnson bowled his way into the end zone from 9 yards for the Cardinals' opening score, capping a 61-yard drive led by Bradford.

Arizona's Chad Williams caught three passes for 44 yards.

Bradford said the offense looked "pretty sharp" while he was in the game.

"There were a lot of good things that were done tonight and things that we can really build on," Bradford said.

Arizona's defense racked up four turnovers for a second straight game to go with four sacks.

Quarterback Drew Brees sat out, as he did in the Saints' preseason opener last week.

Saints coach Sean Payton said he'd play starters more in New Orleans' third exhibition, but was more concerned with evaluating players vying for roster spots this week.

"At some point Mike Remmers Jersey , we've got to see where we're at as a team," Payton said. "There's that fine line of trying to get the work in ... trying to get the evaluation and trying to come up with what we think is the best 53 (players). That's what weighs on our minds."

The two reserves competing to back up Brees 鈥?Taysom Hill and Tom Savage 鈥?were inconsistent and had issues with ball security, combining for four fumbles, two of which resulted in turnovers by Hill.

Hill, a second-year pro who got the start, also was intercepted twice and finished 11 of 15 for 68 yards to go with 43 yards rushing, all of it coming on one long scramble.

Savage, who played most of the second half, was 6 of 7 for 53 yards, but was sacked three times.

Former Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett played the final six minutes for New Orleans, completing 3 of 5 passes for 45 yards and scrambling for a 12-yard TD.

Saints rookie receiver Tre'Quan Smith, a third-rounder, caught three passes for 60 yards.

HUMBLED HILL

Hill led several possessions across midfield, only to be done in by turnovers and another fumble that he recovered himself for a 13-yard loss, forcing New Orleans to settle for Wil Lutz's 52-yard field goal.

The Saints drove to the Arizona 30 on the opening drive before Hill's tipped pass was intercepted by linebacker Haason Reddick. Hill lost his first fumble when the ball slipped out of his hands on a first down play from the Cardinals 35.

Hill overthrew Ted Ginn on a deep pass toward the right sideline, where cornerback Bene Benwikere made a leaping interception, narrowly touching his toes inbounds.

Late in the first half Sebastian Janikowski Jersey , Hill completed five straight passes to move New Orleans to the Arizona 13, but fumbled on Olsen Pierre's sack. Arizona defensive end Vontarrius Dora recovered and returned it 16 yards to the Arizona 43.

"I've got to be better. It was frustrating tonight," Hill said. "There were some good things, but it's hard to attack when you have four turnovers."

TECH TALK

Two young pros out of Louisiana Tech who grew up in the Gulf South had productive nights in the Superdome, where they played as teammates in a 2015 New Orleans Bowl win.

Dora, who began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent in 2016, recovered two fumbles and assisted on a tackle.

Saints rookie running back and return man Boston Scott, a sixth-round draft choice, returned three kickoffs for 87 yards, had a 16-yard run among six carries for 28 yards, caught a short pass and returned a punt 13 yards.

INJURIES

Cardinals: Robert Nkemdiche left with a foot injury in the first half and did not return.

Saints: Safety Rickey Jefferson had an apparent leg injury covering the kickoff at the start of the second half. On the ensuring series, cornerback Arthur Maulet limped off the field. Devaroe Lawrence was shaken up later in the third quarter and walked off on his own.

ANTHEM UPDATE

There were no apparent protests during the national anthem.

UP NEXT

The Saints play the Chargers in Los Angeles on Aug. 25.

The Cardinals visit Dallas on Aug. 26.

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