David Bell
I have already written my thoughts about keeping Chris Jones a Chief. Add to that another piece dealing with retaining L’Jarius Sneed. I do not doubt that Jones is a future HoF inductee. I believe the same thing about Sneed. Chris Jones is the heart and soul of the front four. Nick Bolton, Willie Gay and Drue Tranquill give the Chiefs the best three 4/3-base LB crew in the NFL.
Let’s Add Two More Keepers: Willie Gay and Drue Tranquill
Pointing to the obvious, Willie Gay is the only true side-line-to-side-line Linebacker in the Chiefs compliment of LBs. Besides that, Gay is a draftee, as is Bolton. Gay has the speed to stay with a QB or provide intermediate coverage of a speedy WR or TE. Of course, Bolton is our Mike, green-dot play caller and this is where Drue Tranquill comes in as the #2 play-caller. When the three are on the field together, they are a powerful 2nd-tier group of defenders, so much so, that I’d like see K.C. re-sign both Gay and Tranquill in the coming offseason.
I don’t want to forget Leo Chenal in cautioning you in your own deliberations.
So it’s time for you to review what I wrote about keeping CJ to get a perspective of the money line problem that is going to rear its ugly head in the coming offseason. I want to focus on Chris Jones because I closely followed his collegiate games at Mississippi St and almost demanded that John Dorsey make him a high draft pick, which Dorsey did! I have a player crush on Jones and want to see him retire as a Chief.
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CJ after recording his 10.5th Sack – Perry Knotts Photo Credit
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See that article, here: “Shifting Focus: A Peek at the Looming Cost of Retaining a Beloved Chiefs Defender.“
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Next Up: CB, L’Jarius Sneed
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Sneed Defended an attempted pass from Jackson to Flowers (AFCCG game photo, Getty Images)
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Four plays later — after Flowers was called for taunting on Sneed — Sneed got the better of him by punching the ball out just before Flowers crossed the goal line. The ball was then recovered by Trent McDuffie. Advantage Chiefs. Take a look (0:12):
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The money problem continues when trying to decide between keeping our shut-down CB L’Jarius Sneed and I wrote about that earlier this month as well in an article called: “Keeping L’Jarius Sneed a High Priority.“
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All during the 2023 season, Sneed was tasked with defending against the other team’s top receivers and he passed all tests, game by game. So, I certainly want to retain Sneed. The cost is going to be high. Playing opposite Trent McDuffie, the Chiefs have one of the top pair of CBs in the NFL. I do not want to break up that tandem.
Now, consider the next two players I greatly desire Brett Veach to figure out a way to retain. The ugly financial grossly snake-headed Medusa of ancient Greece monster arises again.
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Willie Gay, Jr. makes a big play vs. the Giants – photo of signed card – Mo athletic Apparel Event
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How Brett Veach figures out a way to keep both Willie Gay and Drue Tranquill is far beyond my comprehension. I have seen estimates of what Drue would wish to receive in a multiyear contract set at about $7.5M annually. Similarly, estimates for Gay exceed $6.5M per year. They play different roles in Spag’s Defensive Scheme and we have all seen how well Tranquill fits, in the post-season especially. When Brett Veach signed Tranquill for 2023, I couldn’t have been more pleased. I think the Chargers thought that he would slip through and he could be reclaimed. Veach proved them wrong.
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Tranquill – Chiefs.com photo
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Brett Veach: the Snake-headed Medusa
Upcoming Offseason
It is said that Medusa was so attractive, but dangerous, that she could entice the weaker sex — males — without difficulty. Brett our “Maverick” Veach has a battle on his hands very soon.
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Terracotta Two_Handled Vase – 3rd Century BC(Greece)
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This article focused on the two Linebackers, Willie Gay and Drue Tranquill, but it points to the tough job facing Brett Veach’s team building this spring. The top four Free Agents provide Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo with four of the top players crucially important due to their skillset and fit of all four as “Chiefs.”
Those four players, appear to me to be must-keep players. Consider what happened when Nick Bolton was injured and out of games or when Willie Gay couldn’t play in the AFCCG! Of course, there are other reasons to offer Willie Gay a new deal:
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Consider also that DT Charles Omenihu has suffered a torn ACL in the game against the Ravens. I fear Omenihu will have a tough recovery to get back to game-playing shape come next fall’s season opener. That should be an eye-opener concerning the upcoming Jones contract.
Fortunately, Brett Veach is a master in the role of General Manager. I covered the magic that he worked in acquiring free agents and in the draft earlier this month as well. Take a look if you haven’t already: “Chiefs: GM Brett Veach Continues to Amaze“
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I have not a clue about what to anticipate with our two LBs and their retention this offseason, nor how Veach might be able to keep all four players covered in these three articles. This is an Occam’s razor situation for Brett Veach. Reduction with parsimony and focus on the goal is, of course, a must. What I want to know is how Brett Veach establishes his tenets for this coming offseason. One of our bloggers, Screaming Dizbuster, said this just yesterday:
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“Veach will have to be a miracle worker, not to
mention a busy man, to keep up with you! The
thought of losing either Jones or Sneed makes
my head hurt.”
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Mine too!
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David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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