It’s All Fun and Games With NFL Funny Money

David Bell

Laddie and I had a conversation for nearly an hour three nights ago. It related to the subject he wrote about the Chiefs Weakest Link. We both concluded that it was the defensive Front Four, despite having: Karlaftis, Omenihu, Jones, and now Felix Anudike-Uzomah (FAU). Laddie believes the biggest exposure is at the DT position. See his article from Tuesday called: “The Chiefs Weakest Links: Depth Players by Position.”

I agree with his assessment though I would have liked to see Frank Clark or Carlos Dunlap return. Of course, we now know Clark signed with the Dastardly “Mile High As a Kite Crew.” How could he? Then on Tuesday, an article about Carlos Dunlap and his potential return was published. That I really would like to see happen. I think Dunlap’s 2022 contribution is far undervalued — his tutoring of George Karlaftis was valuable to the rookie, and most of the public did not know about how Dunlap worked behind the scenes with GK. We all were apprised of Frank Clark’s work with GK which was more prominently published. You can tell from the team photos that Carlos really loved being a Chief and got a ring in the process (His Chiefs’ Hat!).

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A Happy Chief – Dunlap at Chief’s Presser, 2022

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There’s a group photo featuring defensive players, and Carlos refused to remove his hat.

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To take a peek at the article called: “Carlos Dunlap open to Kansas City return in 2023″ written by Pete Sweeney, go here:

What is Dunlap money anyway?

Beyond CJ?

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KSHB TV, CJ on Burrow, AFC Championship game, 2022

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Tershawn Wharton – (3 Tech Chiefs UDFA 2021) – The Turk has had some big football moments in his brief career. He has played well enough to make the roster but last year suffered a knee injury that ended his participation. If Wharton Is able to return to form, it will help with the pass rush from the IDL.

Keondre Coburn or Danny Shelton?

Keondre Coburn (UT 1-3 Tech, drafted in the 6th Round) – The cost of Coburn is essentially his pro-rated bonus of about $68k. When I reviewed tape for Coburn, I came away pleasantly surprised. I think now that Coburn has a good shot at pushing onto the 53-man roster. Of course, that would mean that Danny Shelton would likely be cut.

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Coburn pass rush, UT photo

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Coburn is quicker than you’d think. Here he is on a stunt:

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Danny Shelton (1-3 Tech Free Agent signed in 2022) – Shelton was someone I had paid attention to when he was drafted (a 1st rounder, #12 overall by the Browns in 2015), but he has never played well enough to be a 3-down starter full-time. He can eat up space and occupy attention from the opposing Offensive Line players, but he is not a pass rush threat which makes him a spot player for non-pass downs, and likely he will not be anything but that type of contributor. At this point, I defer to youth and prefer that Coburn win out the 1-tech type position assignments(see above).

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Beyond this view, I don’t believe Shelton (who has played for the Browns, Pats, Lions, and Giants prior to coming to K.C.) was in good football-playing shape in 2022. Let’s hope that he is ready to go in 2023. Shelton has 6.0 sacks in 8 years in the NFL. Shelton was once thought to be the best DT coming out of college. Here he is getting after the QB in 2014:

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Laddie’s Highlighted DTs – CJ to the positive is the first view, and on the negative side, Derrick Nnadi. He wrote:

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“Last year, CJ may have taken over the mantle as the league’s best DT.  That leaves the Chiefs other DT position to re-think.”

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At the time Jones was drafted, I was all over it. He was on my “must draft list.” Jones has fulfilled my outlook for him.

That leaves the Chief’s other DT position to re-think. My reasoning about Nnadi’s fit is that he doesn’t figure into the pass rush. Nnadi ranks at the bottom of the DT performance rankings –> 73rd. Using this rating, it seems evident that acquiring a DT would be a necessary and smart move, but the cupboard is nearly bare. It appears that Nnadi’s time in KC is likely limited, but might be necessary for one more season. If the Chiefs must go with Nnadi, then so be it. At present, they have no wiggle room to make any move with a free agent signing.

Do you have a DT candidate that fits that could bring talent and ability to the roster that matches the team’s needs and be a good fit for Chiefs’ chemistry? Just who is out there to get that brings the right persona to the Kingdom. That’s the question isn’t it?! The top 20 or more DTs in the NFL have all signed contracts. There are players who are still unsigned, but among them, I haven’t isolated any player that I want to see come to the Kingdom.

When Mike Pennel was a Chief, he was a contributor, and I think he is still unsigned, as are: Justin Ellis, Ndamukong Suh, Chris Wormley, Linval Joseph, Corey Peters, and Tyeler Davison. I am not convinced that there is a worthy player on the list. Suh is not a Chiefs persona fit, as far as I am concerned and Laddie agrees with me on that point for sure.

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The Cap Space Here and Now?

It’s not $1, but it’s not much (about $650k). What needs to be done is to reduce CJ’s Cap Hit by extending his contract. A similar action could be taken to ensure L’Jarius Sneed remains in the kingdom and frees up more funds. Until a contract is restructured, no funds are available anyway, and the Chiefs need in-season operations capital to stay solvent as September unfolds — so it appears that the whole shebang waits on what happens with CJ.

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Sneed INT Vs Packers

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The cap is not a hard and fast line item. Seth Keysor of “Chiefs in the North” has written about this many times. A brief quote from Keysor:

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“To start off, the salary cap is fake. That’s an exaggeration,

of course, and I say it that way purposefully to enrage those

who treat the cap as more important than I believe it to be.

A more accurate way of saying things is as follows:

the NFL’s hard salary cap is much, much more

flexible than people tend to believe.

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A good article on this topic can be found at ‘Chiefs In the North’, but to view it requires a subscription. See it here: it’s called: “Fun with the Chiefs salary cap

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How the Chiefs Could Make It Work?

If we presume that the Chiefs roll forward with Derrick Nnadi as the starter opposite Chris Jones, then I can see Joe Cullen mixing Charles Omenihu to the inside while utilizing other players at DE. That would mean George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah take over at DE. I do have some positive vibes about Malik Herring from last season as well. I have no real feel for how Joshua Kaindoh is perceived by the coaching staff.

If either of the latter two players can step up in 2023 and become solid contributors off the edge in 2023, it would aid the potential of using Omenihu inside to bolster the pass rush attack. Another possibility is that Keondre Coburn (or Shelton… or both) could fit the IDL need for a pass rush threat. Certainly, Daniel Wise and Joshua Kaindoh will be in the mix for edge players, which may preclude my view of Dunlap’s return(see below). All in all, we need to see them in pads. Though Mike Pennel is out there, and though he is an older player (just turned 32), he could fit a spot snap count and contribute if signed. It’s the “And So On” type of situation.

To see DT rankings by PFF (Multi-tiered outlook), see their piece called: “2022 NFL interior defender rankings and tiers

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I suppose that at this juncture, I would go after bringing Carlos Dunlap back and figure out how to use Omenihu inside in a mix-and-match utilization. We know that Carlos Dunlap is very amenable to having another season with the Chiefs. He observed this week:

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“The Chiefs obviously have a special spot for me because they were the first team to help me win a playoff game and to win a Super Bowl…So that would be a great opportunity”.

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Having Carlos Dunlap back in the fold would be beneficial to FAU (a 2023’s 1st-round DE draft pick), as well as George Karlaftis (a 2022 1st-round DE draft pick). From my discussion with Laddie on Monday evening, I gather his view of Omenihu is such that Charles can be such a tutor in the mix for the edge newcomers simultaneously.

The Challenge facing Joe Cullen will be to figure out how to get the most from the players that are currently on the roster functioning at peak performance. In 2022, I think Joe Cullen’s contribution paid off well. The Chiefs Front Four will need similar success in 2023.

A trade is a possibility, but from among the anticipated roster players: is there a player that you would want to see depart in order to make it happen?

Standing pat appears to be a necessity at this juncture. On the roster are Phil Hoskins and Matt Dickerson, but I have no clue as to what caliber player either is until Training Camp. It appears to me, the Chiefs may well be looking to draft a DT in 2024 as a high-priority selection. We’ll have to wait until training camp anyway but Brett Veach and company needs time to figure out who and how to extend a player to get the necessary funds to sign a Free Agent, or to make a trade.

I don’t think we will know until training camp time is on the clock. Then Brett Veach will likely have made a move to obtain funds to make a move for meaningful acquisition.

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David Bell — ArrowheadOne

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