Chiefs Pre-draft Draft: Free Agents Anyone? – What Position and Free Agent will Brett Veach point at signing in the draft of Veteran Players — A Free Agent Free For All — prior to the draft? Brett Veach stated during his presser a week ago, that the Chiefs would not be very active in the Free Agent Market and would not be active in the first wave of the Free Agent market. He did point to the fact that the Chiefs would use the signing of a Free Agent to bolster what they could aim to accomplish in the draft. I take this to mean that the Chiefs would work to find a player to solidify a weakness on the roster of 2020 in order to be able to return to the competition to get to Super Bowl LVI. I am certain Brett Veach is working with his scouting staff, the coaches and HC Andy Reid and that the have a Pre-draft, Draft plan in place for Free Agents.
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What’s the first step? Win the Hunt Trophy — AGAIN!
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I cannot possibly understand who specifically the Chiefs will go after in Free Agency, but I am pretty sure it will be a player in one of the areas mentioned by Brett Veach: OL, DL and LB. To this list, we could add a CB, WR or TE as a frame of reference for who could really boost the position groups. Except to say that the Chiefs, like many other teams are going to be cash strapped. Ah well, Brett Veach won’t be all by his lonesome since the NFL has half the league facing the same predicament. One team to envy? The New York Jets.
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Offensive Tackle
Free Agent Projected? Position of Opportunity and Need
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Right now, the Chiefs have a difficult road ahead. Firstly, Mitch Schwartz was injured in the week 6 and then Eric Fisher in the Playoffs. They were the stalwart dependables of the offensive Line. We all know the result of that in the game against Tom Brady. If you don’t think this is important to Patrick Mahomes, you are totally mistaken.
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The biggest exposure — the elephant in the room — that the Chiefs have is due to both of their Offensive Tackles being injured. They’ll most likely sign a solid player in FA then draft an OT, to cover their bases. My question then revolves around: will this have to be a first wave Free Agent pick or is there a veterans they can add that is not as costly as the early group of prospects? I do not think, they want to depend on OT Mike Remmers to be tasked as a starter, but I am okay with him for depth.
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OT Free Agent Possibilities
- Trent Williams
- Taylor Moton
- Russell Okung
- Alejandro Villanueva
- Jason Peters
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Note: Daryl Williams, Cam Erving and Mike Remmers are not listed above. Bold highlight players are possibles in my book. This is a tough proposition because you are looking for a starter and a draft pick. We need a dependable player as a Free Agent bridge OT. The draft pick should also be a player deemed NFL ready… if possible.
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Offensive Center
Free Agent Projected? Negligible, but be opportunistic.
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I think Austin Reiter will be the Chiefs 2021 Center.
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Veach, Reid and Heck are probably going to go with Austin Reiter at OC, primarily because his pass block grade (PFF) was decent. The usual caveats apply since the OL, besides OC, suffered injuries up and down the group so cohesiveness and familiarity was a goner most of the season. If Reiter is back, then a F/A signing here is unlikely. I do have a thought to release Reiter and sign Corey Linsley who is going to be a F/A. The thing that catches my eye is, he ranks among the top 10 Centers in the NFL and he is 29 years old (30 in July). It would be a more hefty salary choice, but it certainly would anchor the Offensive line with a high caliber player. That said, the Chiefs will not sign such a Free Agent as Patrick Mahomes is very comfortable with Reiter and has said so publicly. Look for a draft pick to man the position — and for the future — if anything is going to get done this season.
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In the background for this position, K.C. brought Daryl Williams to the PS. So, they have their own player in-house. I watched Daryl Williams last season and thought he would be drafted, but was signed as a Chief’s UDFA. While I mention Linsley, the Chiefs had Dan Kilgore last season and he is worth re-signing as well. So, if there is a F/A signing, it seems to me that it would be Kilgore who played most of the snaps in one game and didn’t look shabby. Plus, he would be an economical F/A to boot.
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Offensive Guard
Free Agent Projected? Negligible.
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A lot of thought has got to revolve around Four constructs:
1. LDT returns– after the layoff year and the Doc paid due to his medical skill and honor bound duty. If Larry can play at the 2018 level… I am all for having him back. This would solidify the Center and ROG position as I’m a pretty sure about Reiter being the Chiefs choice… like it or not.
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2. Kelechi Osemele– he brought something to KC’s ground game that has been dearly missing from my frame of reference: a powerful ground-and-pound Guard. I don’t know what’s planned here, but I do know that for 5 games, K.C.’s rushing attack had a man moving force at LOG.
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3. Nick Allegretti- Allegretti took over at ROG and didn’t look back. If we presume his experience curve was managed with a high degree of success, then I see Nick as the starting LOG. Note: he can play Center. My view is that the Chiefs are looking to move forward with Allegretti. I really like what Nick has done and he is the perfect size for a Guard: 6-4, 320.
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4. Martinas Rankin and Yasir Durant: I like Rankin and believe him to be a dependable Guard who can also play OT. My view about Durant is similar. He was a UDFA, his cost is very low, he is versatile enough to play inside our out, but is probably far more suited for OG in the NFL. Durant was brought aboard and kept on the roster all season. This was likely to keep him from being poached off of the PS. Either way, there are guards to be plucked and the Chiefs will likely dp some plucking of an IOL in this draft. We’ll see. Not a high priority nor a free agent in sight, If there is one, it would be Osemele.
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Defensive Tackle
Free Agent Projected? None.
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The Chiefs will field Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi, Khalen Saunders, and Tershawn Wharton. I doubt Veach will be looking to sign a Free Agent DT. I do think that the DT role is a high draft priority though. The reason for this was buttressed by the inability of our players to pressure the QB up the middle when the opponent had a good offensive front. Something that needs to be done is to provide a counterpart for Chris Jones. A DT is needed as much, or more, then a DE. Veach will very likely select a player whose pass rush skills are top notch to add force up the middle.
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Defensive End
Free Agent Projected? Potential exists. Most likely a draft pick.
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As of this writing, we now know that Alex Okafor will not return nor will Tanoh Kpassagnon. This leads me to expect that Taco Charlton will be slotted opposite Frank Clark, for now. This was a projection from couple of weeks ago, and the 3rd DE will be Mike Danna. Another player is needed to add to this mix.
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Carlos Dunlap (Seattle) is a Free agent. His projected salary is $10M, but that’s why the Seahawks released him, so, he would be too expensive. If Charlton is their #1 guy, a player like Minnesota’s Yannick Ngakoue might be a better choice. He has 5 years in the NFL and he might be priced at around $5M. The thing that keys me on Ngakoue is that he was a 3rd round draft pick so, he fits the type of profile player that Veach likes to add. Solomon Thomas — 49’ers — fits the need for depth and would probably cost the Chiefs $5M. So he’s a possibility. Maybe even less in the year of the Cap Space Massacre. Adam Gotsis (Jags) is even better to add as a depth player, whose cost could be in the range of just $1M-to-$2M. That’s enough. There’s a long list, but since I doubt the direction will be a Free Agent, I will leave this one here.
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Outside Linebacker
Free Agent Projected? Negligible.
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Sure, there are LB’s that fit the Chiefs. The best is probably Matt Milano. He would be costly to bring aboard, but a great choice, nonetheless. If Veach were to cast the net and want to take an immediate player to take on a starter role, Milano is the right kind of LB. So many players fit the bill, but Brett Veach will in all likelihood draft a savvy pass defensive LB to play next to Willie Gay in 2022. Another reason I think this, is due to Anthony Hitchens’ 2022 cost and the fact that he is a liability in pass defense. Still, I like Milano a bunch. Because of cost and timing, I see a LB from the draft with the high valuation that he is to be a starter in the NFL. Veach could plan for the coaching staff to bring this player along as they did last year with Gay, and then plan for replacing Hitch next year while eating some dead money.
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Okay. I mentioned Milano. He is not going to be a Veach alternative, but I would dearly love to have him in a Chiefs Uni!
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Other factors include that the Chiefs drafted Dorian O’Daniel, but they do not give him game snaps. He is important to Dave Toub at any rate. Darius Harris seems to be to be the type of player the Chiefs like. In the preseason of 2019, his play was worthy of keeping. Ben Niemann was a disappointment in 2020, but we’ll have to wait and see how that plays out. All three players are on the roster at this point.
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Wide Receiver
TBD – If the right player could be had? Yes.
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This is a tough nut because when K.C. brought Sammy Watkins on board, he was a top WR and added that type of threat to the arsenal. I see all sorts of men who would be superb additions and would give the top notch threat that Sammy brought to the table. However, it would cost a pretty penny. Still, if I had to select just one FA that would put a position group over the top it would be wide receiver. The Chiefs could sign that top player or, do something like add a bridge player to get to the next draft or so.
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Despite the money, I can see casting some dollars at an immediate threat, if that is truly the only Free Agent I was pursuing except depth players. If Veach made such a signing, because it does resolve an exposure that exists, then Veach could focus on the draft otherwise. What was missing much of the 2020 regular season and postseason was the Sammy Watkins threat… of 2019. With Watkins out, none of the other WR’s could live up to a true #2 possession type wideout.
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In a recent article by Nate Taylor of the Athletic has a similar idea to mine about Chris Godwin, but he places Godwin in the first wave. He wrote:
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“The top available receivers — Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin and Kenny Golladay — are likely to not be in the Chiefs’ plans. But the team could benefit from signing an ascending receiver such as Corey Davis, Curtis Samuel and Nelson Agholor.”
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An expensive Wave One WR proposition might be a guy like Chris Godwin but he has run an extensive route tree both inside and out. That is just what Veach will want to order up and get a guy like Godwin who is a football moxie type player. He’d also fit well with the Chiefs and I can see spending more money for Godwin than, for example, Ty Hilton, or Marvin Jones, who are both nearing the end of their NFL time. There are others as well and the Free Agent list of WRs top to bottom, is going to present many attractive propositions.
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Tight End
TBD – If one falls our way?
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The Chiefs need a TE to compliment Travis Kelce. However, this edition must be a top blocking TE, but with hands and a player who can add another dimensional threat. I see drafting to this position as more likely than not, with the construct in mind that the Chiefs have Nick Keizer, Deon Yelder and Ricky Seals-Jones in house. All are versed in what is expected of them, and the playbook. I doubt a free agent will be signed unless it is one of our own.
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Cornerback or Safety
Free Agent Projected? Negligible.
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Free Agent Possibilities: Summary
It was not the scope of this article to specifically target a Free Agent for any position, but to demonstrate how the Chiefs have position groups of need and what the likelihood of selecting a Free Agent addition should be only opportunistic. It seems to me that the likely position to sign free agent at this time is Offensive Tackle who must be a starter quality OT. All other free agents will be taken when it is extremely attractive, cost efficient and will add a player who upgrades a position group. Others will be signed for depth to fill out the roster. The objective? Make the right moves in Free Agency. Get back to the Super Bowl in February of 2022… AND WIN IT!!
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Add your thoughts in comment — that would be appreciated.
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David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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