Chiefs: Wednesday Eve – The Matriculation Season to Tampa 2021 – at 3:00 PM CDT, Free Agency Officially started. Note: I started this piece prior to the 3:00 PM deadline.
Where Things Stand
Lotta thoughts are being passed around and we know the players at this point, who are departing but we don’t know the big cuts… yet. DE Frank Clark did a contract alteration to put $5M to bonus and essentially this put the Chiefs under the cap. Now that this is accomplished, there will likely be no news of any other crucial signings, perhaps DT Chris Jones, under a long term contract. It is understood in the public refrain, that the Chiefs are working in a renegotiated framework to keep WR Sammy Watkins in house. He was a major component of my proposed cap relief and getting him released would gain $14M in cap space.
What We Know: Sticking Points
Jones is one of the most fearsome forces on the DL, of any team in the NFL. We know that there is a point that has been reached by the CJ camp that is a mismatch with what the Chiefs are willing to do. CJ had a mini-holdout last year and I see the problem as being what CJ is holding over the head of Brett Veach. Ransom Hawthorn has posited that the only option that Veach had available would be to make an offer which matches that given DeForest Buckner, which is a $21m per year deal.
From Jones point of view? I think he will would be willing to sit as did Le’Veon Bell. If that is the case, the Chiefs are already working on trading him and it’s just a matter of time. He is tagged. He can entertain offers. How many teams are in the market for an Interior Defensive Lineman at a $20M+ price tag? For that matter, they would give up a bundle of a hall in a massive blockbuster trade to sign him. If Jones did decide to sit a season, then Brett Veach has already written him off and is working on a trade.
WR Sammy Watkins contract is ridiculous for a #2 possession type receiver with over-the-top speed, even though he’s experienced. He is a young player at 26 years old and with him on the field, the Chiefs offense was far better than without him. That observation though highlights the problem with keeping him and paying him — the 16 and so to be 17 game schedule and the ability to be on the field for each game. Don’t get me wrong on this either, I have supported Sammy’s role all last season and he came through in the playoffs and in games when Hill was out and injured as a #1 target, which is another reason to retain him. Veach is walking a tightrope on money and what also has to be accomplished with retaining the roster nucleus and hoping to field a team competitive enough to “repeat.”
Cornerbacks: The Short Bus?
The Chiefs have no depth at all with this position. A big bundle hinges on whether the Chiefs can retain Bashaud Breeland. Charvarius Ward and Rashad Felton are under contract while Alex Brown (5-1, 170) was on the PS. Kendall Fuller is already gone to Washington at $10M per year and Bashaud Breeland is looking to fulfill his prove it season as he signed with the Chiefs at a bargain rate last year. My first thought is… he’s going to want north of what the Chiefs will likely be able to afford.
The real question about Cornerbacks then revolves around Bashaud. After the first 3 or 4 games he settled down the 2nd half of the season and the whole secondary played well.
Sure. I know, the Chiefs can sign a starter type pick as a Free Agent? Who? I have thought about 2015 2nd Round Bills pick, Ron Darby? He is a top draft pick who has under-performed but has talent and the physical makeup to be a starter. He went to the Eagles who did not retain him after his 2-year stint in Buffalo. Chris Harris and Eli Apple are now signed away to AFC West teams. Maybe they should try to get Darby or a player like him… get another prove it player as they did with Breeland. At any rate, the CB position is in a dangerous state.
What about the draft? It is deep enough to make a pick of a player who, in all likelihood, can be an immediate starter and that is almost a foregone conclusion of how the Veach draft will appear as the new season has gotten under way.
I can highlight several players who really fit well with Spagnuolo’s defense scheme. Since Fuller slipped to the safety role for much of the end of the season and since Rashad Felton’s play came to fruition in 2019, the weakness for the CB crew is lighter than we might think. Losing Fuller and possibly Breeland though keeps us in the creek with only the proven Ward (now I am getting back at many pundits about Ward). Felton will be in the, “I’ll prove I belong” category, during the 2020 season.
Safe at Safety
I don’t see a problem here. We have not yet tendered Lucas Jordan but we have Tyrann Mathieu, Juan Thornhill, Daniel Sorensen and Armani Watts.
The Interior Offensive Line
This also is a position where at least depth is not a problem. The need to solve the interior line problem is my focus. At this point, I see the Chiefs cutting ROG: Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. It gains cap space of around $5M (Dang it Doc!). He did not play well in 2019 and he was injured in both of the last two seasons. Don’t get me wrong? I think injuries to other players had a role in his lack of performance as well as playing through a severe ankle problem of his own.
It is my view that Stefan Wisniewski demonstrated that he would fulfill the expectation in the near term of keeping Pat Mahomes upright. However, Wis has signed with the Eagles. Wisniewski gave up no sacks while he was a starter. I also proposed that Martinas Rankin proved himself in NFL play before he was injured and he is still with the team. Those two could have fulfilled the LOG and ROG positions. Andrew Wylie has been retained and he has starter experience though his performance took a downturn in 2019, as opposed to an expected growth.
I attribute much of the difficulty with the offensive line as centered around the injury plague. Eric Fisher missed half the season and we had two inexperienced players starting. The instability on the OL affected Center Austin Reiter and Andrew Wylie to an extent. Certainly having Erving play LOT in Fisher’s place was “traumatic” and Pat Mahomes was injured twice. There are players that are unproven and Nick Allegretti is the player that I hope is ready to step up. Jackson Barton and Ryan Hunter are also on the roster.
With Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, the Chiefs have a core of 2 experienced O-linemen and that bodes well for protecting Pat Mahomes. Keep in mind that Rankin also has NFL time spent with the Saints and the Texans which stood him well and showed when he had his starts, he had 271 snaps plus no sacks given up. Keep in mind there was a lot of thought for him to be the LOG starter before the season began and with Wis gone, he may get penciled in.
Experience on the OL is so vitally important that I can’t use enough adjectives to make my point. The good part is: Wylie as a swing player and provides NFL starting experience at depth and thankfully Cam Erving is not being retained (Please refrain from hollering YAY!).
The Wideouts
Sure. If Sammy is released then we have a need at this position. Sammy is still around as I write this so maybe Veach will find a way to save big bucks against the cap and keep Sammy in the mix. Keep in mind that Hardman would move up to #2 and he is a total over the top threat. Unfortunately, Robinson will depart. That means players such as Byron Pringle and Gehrig Dieter must succeed. This may mean a draft pick, but at this time, that is four players for the role, which I see as being fairly deep.
We will know more as it unfolds. At the point I finish this, I see no reason to alter this view.
David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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