KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Alex Smith looked around the Kansas City Chiefs locker room on the first day of the offseason conditioning program last month and saw something new. Really, it was something that wasn't new, and that's what made it unusual.
Smith saw a lot of familiar faces among his teammates and few new ones. The need to make personal introductions to first-time teammates wasn't what it usually is on the first day of a new season.
"It's definitely a rarity," Smith said Tuesday as the Chiefs began the practice portion of the offseason program. "So many years there's just so much turnover, especially the bottom of the roster and a lot of guys (are) in and out.
"That just hasn't been the case here. We've had a ton of consistency, a ton of continuity, especially at the skill positions."
The roster stability on offense from last year to this is extraordinary for the Chiefs. All of their five halfbacks and five tight ends were with the Chiefs last year, either on the active roster or practice squad. Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz is the only starting lineman who wasn't with the Chiefs last season.
The Chiefs have new wide receivers in veterans Rod Streater and Mike Williams and rookies Demarcus Robinson and Tyreek Hill. But the top three receivers at practice Tuesday -- Jeremy Maclin, Albert Wilson and Chris Conley -- were with the Chiefs last season.
The stability even extends to the offensive coaching staff. Coordinator Doug Pederson left during the offseason to coach the Philadelphia Eagles but coach Andy Reid remains as the primary play-caller. Pederson was replaced by two coaches previously on the staff, Matt Nagy and Brad Childress. Each of the primary offensive position coaches remains from Reid's original Chiefs staff from 2013.
Whether this is an advantage for the Chiefs remains to be seen. In Maclin, tight end Travis Kelce and running back Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs have three of the NFL's premier players at their positions. If the Chiefs can fill in adequately around them, they might do better than ninth in scoring, which they were last season.
It's up to Smith and the Chiefs to make this continuity work for them. For now, at least, Smith said he believes it gives them an edge.
"It's been nice," he said. "From Day 1 we came out and we weren't really having to reteach anything. The guys knew it. Granted, there are a couple of new faces but those guys jumped in and they were able to get coached up by the position group. We've been moving fast."