Brett Veach: The Man With The Plan in Kansas City – in his third year as a General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs, one thing has become abundantly clear: Brett Veach has a plan. This became apparent early in the off-season, as the Chiefs finessed their way through Free Agency, retaining most of their players and only creating cap space as needed. In what could be Veach’s best draft to date, are further pieces of the plan unfurled. Some provide clarity on issues from earlier in the off-season, while others hint at future preparations.
The Continuity Plan
Chiefs made their first addition to the Cornerback room in the fourth round. This demonstrated great confidence in the three players they returned from last year: Bashaud Breeland, Charvarius Ward and Rashaad Fenton. Speculation had been that CB would be a top need for the Chiefs, even with the addition of former Giants CB, Antonio Hamilton. Chiefs would ultimately wait till the 4th round before adding a high upside DB, in L’Jarius Sneed. Chiefs didn’t stop at a single addition to the group, though, trading back up into the 7th to select Bopete Keyes. By doing so, Chiefs should have at least, four CBs on affordable contracts, going into 2021. Steve Spagnuolo trusts his system and assistants (Sam Madison and Dave Merrit) to yield productive players. He also trusts Brett Veach to supply him with the proper athletes to develop. Despite spending minimal draft capital, the Chiefs were able to acquire two highly athletic CBs with long arms and ball skills. Chiefs believe they can continue to rotate talent, in the defensive backfield, without experiencing significant falloff, provided they don’t lose too many pieces, from one year to the next. Continuity is key.
Plans for Chris Jones
After holding out last year, and not receiving an extension, Chris Jones seemed a likely trade candidate, going into the off-season. No rumors surfaced however, and when the Indianapolis Colts traded for DeForest Buckner, it became apparent that Chiefs were not open to dealing him. The draft re-enforced this notion. K.C. made no additions at Defensive Tackle, but the selection of Lucas Niang was perhaps more revealing. If Niang can take over for Eric Fisher, in 2021, they can trade Fisher’s contract away, freeing up 11.5m in cap space. While this year’s tackle class was incredibly deep, next year should only see two OTs in the top 20, and maybe only three in the first round. A team desperate for a Left Tackle, in 2021, might easily be induced to trade a 2nd round pick for Fisher, or perhaps even a first. That’s capital that can be used to replace other departing players, allowing the Chiefs to juggle a handful of really large contracts.
Compensatory Picks Coming
One underrated way to maintain a talented roster, despite picking late in the draft, is the acquisition of compensatory picks. These picks are assigned to teams based on talent lost, in free agency, versus talent gained. These additional picks can net you additional players, or enable you trade up. By avoiding high cost free agents, Chiefs should be positioned to get 4th and 5th round compensatory picks, in next year’s draft. They could have cut Sammy Watkins, to save cap space, but, allowing him to play out his contract, they likely will receive a 3rd round compensatory pick for him, in 2022. While Williams likely won’t command the same salary as Watkins, next year, he’s likely to still generate significant interest. With Clyde Edwards-Helaire in house, Chiefs can feel free to let Williams cash in, while they reap the benefits, in the form of a compensatory 5th or 6th. Chiefs added great depth at multiple positions, in the draft, which should allow them to continue the cycle of shedding talent, and gaining compensatory picks.
Remaining Calm, Maximizing Value
Brett Veach’s first draft didn’t go so well. Derrick Nnadi has proved to be a solid player, but the evaluation of Breeland Speaks remains incomplete. K.C. seems to have given up all hope for Dorian O’Daniel, and Armani Watts barely saw the field when Juan Thornhill went down. Both later round picks — Tremon Smith and Kahlil McKenzie — are already gone. Oddly enough, the Chiefs were more aggressive in that draft, about trading up to acquire players they liked. In 2019, Veach demonstrated significantly more patience and was rewarded with a number of talented players, including Juan Thornhill and Khalen Saunders, only trading up for Mecole Hardman. This year Veach didn’t trade up, till the 7th round and he was able to remain calm and maximize value. He hasn’t lost the aggressiveness that makes him special, but he’s learned to listen to his advisors, and see how the board falls.
A Conclusion
With a larger sample size, for Brett Veach, his plan is coming into focus. Maintaining continuity allows them to hit the ground running. It’s a principle they’ve been able to abide by, thus far, in the case of Chris Jones, as continued efforts are made to extend him. The NFL frequently forces the loss of veteran players, but, by structuring contracts to be fully played out, Brett Veach is adding draft capital to the Chiefs arsenal. Artful use of this capital ensures that talented depth is waiting in the wings, allowing Chiefs to maintain an experienced group of starters. Patience proved a virtue worth learning for Veach, whose early success hinged on aggressive acquisitions. Each year, Chiefs have given up less draft capital, than the last, and the result has been some really promising rookie classes. Unexpected events are an inevitability but, thus far, Veach has executed his plans flawlessly, putting K.C. in an excellent position to repeat their championship run. The future looks bright in Kansas City, all according to plan.
Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne
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