Chiefs: What Will K.C. Do on Alchemy Day?

Please grab your Play Book and report to the Head Coach’s office”… words no NFL player ever wants to hear, but at some point in time during their careers, every player, has, and will, eventually experience. For 80 current Chiefs, the hope is that they don’t hear those words today, tomorrow, or haven’t, at any time this week. The realities of NFL life are, that 864 players (32 teams x 27 players per team) will have heard those words already, or will hear them by 4:00 ET tomorrow, Tuesday, August 31.

As the feature graphic reveals, some rather famous players — Peyton Manning, NaVorro Bowman, Jerry Rice and Jamaal Charles — during some point in time during their storied careers, have been cut. Maybe not in September, but they were cut. Yes, that’s Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles in the lower right hand corner, even though JC was a February release.

Late Summer Moves

GM Brett Veach has proven he pays close attention on Alchemy Day, or thereabouts, and you only need to consider that he signed kicker Harrison Butker when the Panthers waived him in September of 2017 in favor of Graham Gano. Butker is now widely thought to be one of the best kickers in the league. It reminds me of the famous children’s tune, “The Garden Song” by David Mallett which says: “Inch by inch, row by row, I’m gonna make this garden grow.” Indeed, Veach has done everything possible to make this team grow into the Super Bowl winner that they are. Let’s review some of his moves.

Veach in the Summer of 2017 – this time of year, four years ago, Veach engineered a trade for LB Reggie Ragland, a 2nd round pick of the Bill in 2016. It was also one of his first moves as the newly cemented GM for the team. John Dorsey had been relieved of his duties as Chiefs GM in late June and Veach took over in early July. Other moves Veach made around this time of year in 2017 include: a trade for OL Cam Irving with the Cleveland Browns, a trade with Tennessee so the Titans could acquire DL David King, and a trade with Seattle who acquired OL Isaiah Battle.

Veach in the Summer of 2018 – Veach acquired CB Charvarius Ward in a trade with Dallas for OL Parker Ehinger. Ehinger also spent time with the Jags, Cards, Ravens, Raiders and is now a Free Agent. Wards is set to become a 4th year starter for K.C.. Veach also signed S Ron Parker (or re-signed, depending on how you look at it, because Ron Parker had played for the Chiefs previously).

Veach in the Summer of 2019 (Super Bowl Victory Season) – Veach signed FA OL Jeff Allen, traded RB Carlos Hyde to Houston for OL Martinas Rankin, traded UDFA CB Mark Fields to Minnesota for an undisclosed draft pick, and signed both Jody Fortson and Nick Keizer to the PS.

Veach in the Summer of 2020 – Veach restructured Travis Kelce’s contract on a 4-year deal, signed OL Kelechi Osemele (in July), swallowed his pride and cut Breeland Speaks (his 2nd round pick from 2018), and placed the following players on the PS (all of whom are still working to make the 53-man roster this year): DB Rodney Clemons, LB Omari Cobb, WR Gehrig Dieter, WR Maurice Ffrench, TE Jody Fortson, LB Darius Harris, CB Chris Lammons, and OL Darryl Williams.

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There’s no doubt that Brett Veach and his crackerjack cronies have been preparing for months, if not years, for this moment in the season, when every other NFL team has to cut players that they’d rather not cut, just like the Chiefs will do. The difference is, Veach and crew, have been keeping microscope tabs on the players they like a lot. Players like Deandre Baker, or Mike Hughes, both of whom Veach traded a pittance for to bring to the fold.

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Last year, CB De’Vante Bausby (pictured above), who at one time was on the Chiefs roster, was released by the Broncos last September, then signed by the Cardinals, who then released him after one game with plans to place him on their PS, but he was again scooped up by the Broncos. These kinds of moves happen frequently around the league this time of year, but Veach appears to have a strong handle on who he wants, and who he’s ready to send to Free Agency.

Everyone and their Grandmothers seem to have a 53-man roster prediction out there in the interwebaverse, yes, including moi, along with David Bell –> see “The 53 Man Blitzkrieg.” All of the Chiefs decisions are likely done and the players have been told their fate. Now we wait, impatiently.

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Trades Possibilities

Gregg Rosenthal wrote a piece for NFL.com last week called, “Notable Players Who Could be Traded or Cut” which includes the following players who may be available in via trade:

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  • LB, Jaylon Smith
  • TE, Zach Ertz
  • TE, O.J. Howard
  • WR, N’Keal Harry
  • CB, Stephon Gilmore

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The main player in this group that I’d like to see wearing Red & Gold is CB Stephon Gilmore. However, since Veach would have to be dealing with the Patriots, and more importantly, Bill Belichick, the odds of K.C. getting the better of that deal, would probably be measured in fractions. LB Jaylon Smith is also intriguing mostly because he played for two years with Anthony Hitchens in Dallas before Hitch came to K.C.. If he could be had for a minuscule price, like a late round pick, I could see Veach pulling the twigger (when Tigger on Winnie-the-Pooh draws his pop-gun). Jaylon Smith has run a 4.44 40-yards dash and looks expendable since the Cowboys just drafted both Micah Parsons and Jabril Cox and still have their 2018 2nd round draft pick in house: LB Leighton Vander Esch. Jaylon Smith could make the Chiefs LB corps a deep and wide group for eons.

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Trades That Have Already Taken Place

From CBSSports.com:

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“Philadelphia sent a conditional 2022 sixth-round draft pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for [QB] Gardner Minshew. The pick for Jacksonville can upgrade to a 2022 fifth-round pick if Minshew plays at least 50% of the snaps in three games this season.”

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That’s not a trade Kingdom fans should want to see Brett Veach involved in, so were good there. From NFL.com, Nick Shook reports that:

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“The [New York] Jets are sending a 2022 sixth-round pick (which initially belonged to San Francisco) to Houston for [Edge Rusher, Shaq Lawson] the 27-year-old defensive end.”

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While the compensation was minimal, Lawson has had quite a lengthy injury history with 8 different injuries over the past five seasons, so I’m glad the Chiefs weren’t the one’s taking part in this trade.

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Teams offering minimal trade compensation — including what the Chiefs would have to offer — should hold to form over the next couple of weeks as team’s attempt to get something — anything — for a player they’re most likely going to cut anyway. The movement of players onto and off of various team’s Practice Squad’s means this is not going to be a one day affair. We’ll see what Veach come’s up with this week, but I have noticed that the total number of Chiefs transactions have gone down each year he’s been here. That hints at the idea that he’s getting better at his job each year. So, there’s less and less need to be bringing in other players from other teams. He already has the one’s he likes.

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NFL Alchemy day is almost here. The Chief have the strongest roster I’ve ever seen, well, at least since the 1969 squad. However, there are moves that can still be made. Let us know what you think will happen, or let us know what’s happening as you hear it!

Go Chiefs!

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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