“Hey Laddie! Where Are The Chiefs Headed?” He Replied: “Back to the Future, of Course!”

David Bell and Laddie Morse

David in Black

Laddie in Red

In an exchange of messages between Laddie and myself, a suggestion was made by Laddie to take a look at different Chiefs players as we approach the season finalé (Super Bowl). We needed to focus on retaining players and extending contracts. It’s a great idea. Great minds think alike. Whatever the Chiefs brass does (Front Office, GM Brett Veach, HC Andy Reid, and so on), they will pursue the upcoming off-season with a heavy dose of experience before and after the draft.

While it was confirmed that I spoke the idea as a question to David, it was he that posed some of these questions, to begin with. So, it’s as David has stated, “Great minds….” Since the Chiefs defense produced 31 sacks in 2021 and ranked 29th in the league… and then jumped to 55 sacks and came in at second in the league this year… we thought DE might be a good place to start.

The question arises: which Chiefs are on the contract bubble? Who should we see return, no matter what?

Of course, the first players who came up in our conversation were…Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap.

Frank Clark – While I have not been pleased with Clark’s overall stats in his career at the Kingdom, he poses a threat that is needed for the pass rush. He has been particularly adept at getting to the opposing quarterback in post-season games. He is not the $25M man we hoped for, but he is integral to the overall effort. I think Clark will be retained for one more season but not with the big money deal. Perhaps a $15M negotiated agreement.

Frank Clark is better than many in Chiefs Kingdom think he is. He hasn’t played at the level we all had hoped for, but he has been a solid contributor, and he did accept a new contract last offseason for 2022, reducing the cost of his deal by half. Clark’s performance in 2019 helped them win a Super Bowl, and his performance this season could end up helping K.C. win another title. You may have noticed the video I added to the end of David Bell’s piece just yesterday, and in the video segment, I noted that Frank Clark was one of the players Andy Reid’s wife hugged when they came into the building after the game. I take that as an insiders tip to mean that Reid and his family have a close personal relationship with Clark. He’s stated that he likes being here in K.C., and if GM Brett Veach can get him to lower his price tag a bit more this offseason (like he did last offseason), I’d like to see him return.

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AP News – Photo Credit

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Clark has willingly played mentor to rookie DE George Karlaftis (GK), and that’s a huge plus. He’s also very good at setting the edge in the running game, and he has improved his pressure on opposing QBs this year over the past two seasons. I say, keep him.

Why would Brett Veach do that? I believe the Chiefs will draft another Edge Rusher in the 2023 draft. Retaining Clark gives the Chiefs coaching staff time to coach “in” good traits and work with the player to rid himself of poor fundamentals. After all, it took George Karlaftis 2/3rds of the season to begin to make an impact. He is in-house and has played top-level football over the past six games. Adding another Edge Rusher in the draft is a multiplier. Retaining Frank Clark is insurance for having a player mix that works, someone to continue working with GK, and someone who can add a second protégé. I like that mix. I also like that Joe Cullen has done wonders for the Defensive Front! That’s a “Double-Tusk” win for the defense. After each practice, GK stays to get tips and tricks from Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap, my second player of note and focus.

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Carlos Dunlap – When Veach signed Carlos Dunlap, I was cheered by the prospect of having Clark, Karlaftis, and Dunlap rotating in and out along the front four. As it turned out, it was an excellent proposition. Toss in a dose of Mike Danna — Joe Cullen’s arrival has also been a big boost for Danna — and the Chiefs really had something to work with. Yes, Dunlap is a player near the end of his career and I’ve watched Chiefs game film focusing on the Front Four and was impressed by how well Carlos moved. Dunlap is still limber, has good legs and speed, and is constantly working on batting away passes while getting pressure on the opposing QB. His experience is another factor in aiding young players such as GK, as well as another newcomer who I hope will be targeted by Veach and his Scouts in the 2023 draft. Dunlap has become a “Chief.” He has a Chiefs sombrero that he is proud to wear and wouldn’t give it up for a group photo.

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Dunlap has taken on the Chiefs Mantra and Persona. Retaining Dunlap will not be an expensive proposition. He knows the ropes and contracts, and he likes it in the Kingdom.

Carlos Dunlap is no Melvin Ingram. Meaning, he’s not a one-year (or half in Melvin’s case) wonder. When on the field, he’s been an excellent pressure guy. He’s been on the field precisely 50% of the time this season (defensive snap count), and if he returns to K.C. next year, I can see him upping those stats. Yes, Dunlap turns 34 next month (February), but in all his full seasons at Cincinnati, he never played less than 74% of the defensive snaps (except his rookie season). Dunlap has also taken rookie George Karlaftis under his wing and has been a great mentor and locker room guy. At some point, David and I will write a piece about the Chiefs persona and how a big part of that has to do with Football IQ. That’s something I believe Dunlap has in spades.

Clark and Dunlap Gives the Chiefs Front Four an “Edge”

When I consider how well the defense played in the stretch run of the 2022 season, I think what Dunlap and Clark accomplished on each passing down snap. They bring pressure that the opponent must account for. As observed, Karlaftis has added to that constant threat. The more consistent, the better. Having both those Veteran Edge Players will be a bonus to the 2023 regular season.

How it Worked (it was the combination of players):

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The Chiefs Defense #’s Overall: 58 QB Hurries, 56 QB Hits, 140 QB Pressures 19.4% Pressure rate 161 Blitzes, 2.6 Sec Pocket time

The stats the Chiefs DEs achieved were mainly due to the addition of Joe Cullen as a DL Coach. I expect he’s had some input into the kind of players he’d like Brett Veach to go after, whether that means from the Free Agent pool or the Draft Prospect pool.

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I asked David recently if he thought a larger players (taller) defensive ends, like Carlos Dunlap, have made a difference, and he agreed with me. While I think he may go looking at more tall defensive linemen, David made a great point that what the DE position seems to need now, is a speed rusher and that this kind of player may be smaller. The taller Edge Player fits into Joe Cullen’s wheelhouse.

Adding the draft pick is icing on the cake, and we can expect increased exploitation of GK, while adding a newcomer is the cherry on top. Keeping both Veterans will be a boon to the defense in 2023. So please give us a Rookie Edge Rusher in 2023, Mr. Veach!

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In Brief

In brief, Dunlap and Clark set the edge. George Karlaftis came into his own, especially after the first ten games. Having recorded 5.5 sacks in his last six (6) games of the regular season, he brought a new look to the front four. Not only that, but the talent across the front four became a chess match with multiple pieces on the board for DC Steve Spagnuolo to use.

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Both Laddie and I envision adding an Edge player in the draft (with the first 3-4 picks) with the best choice possible with either the first or second draft pick. After all, Dunlap and Clark are no spring chickens. However, both should be ready to rock ‘n roll out the gate in 2023. Plus, both benefited from the Chiefs bringing DL coach Joe Cullen to the coaching staff. So giving them all another season together while adding the next piece of the youth movement puzzle via the draft should result in advantage, Chiefs.

I’m not sure how winning the Super Bowl will effect the players mentioned here, but if K.C. does win it all, both Dunlap and Clark may decide to either: 1) retire, or 2) move on.

This article is the first in a series of pieces that Laddie and I plan to roll out over the next few weeks. We want to cover getting a new contract done for Jerick McKinnon, for example, as well as extensions for Travis Kelce, getting at least a 2-year deal on the books for JuJu Smith-Schuster, and figuring out how to cover the cost of retaining Orlando Brown Jr.. Don’t hold your nose. We think it will be necessary since the ROT role is still up in the air. Clearly, we want that to be cost-effective at the same time. The Chiefs don’t need open-ended questions for both OT roles.

Stay tuned!

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David Bell and Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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