Could the Chiefs Make a Play for OT Isaiah Wilson? – The Tennessee Titans drafted offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson in the first round (29th overall) last year but suspended him before he could make an impact because of troubles off the field. While we know the Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid likes to give some players a second chance (see: Michael Vick or Tyreek Hill), the question remains whether or not the 22 year old Wilson is ready for a second chance. Still, he has an obvious ability to become one of the league’s best Offensive Tackles so making a trade for Wilson is not out of the question for the Chiefs.
First, any team considering trading for Wilson must consider what kind of off field issues they’re talking about:
Although Wilson came out of Georgia, those problems were on the campus of Tennessee State University. Why he’d even be on a college campus is questionable, but attending a party where there’s people breaking with the pandemic protocol is even more problematic.
Tennessee Titans GM Jon Robinson said of Wilson’s situation:
“… he’s going to have to make a determination if he
wants to do everything necessary to play pro football
and that’s going to be on him.”
It looks like Wilson has decided he’s done playing football… for the Titans:
I can hear it now: “Why even consider him?” Well, here’s a look what was said about him at the time he was drafted:
“A top 15 pick?” Hmm. At a media event last year, Isaiah Wilson’s had this to say about who he has studied on the Offensive Line:
From that same media event, when asked about his inspirations, he noted that he had a tattoo of his Aunt’s initials on his arm and explained:
There are those who have interest in him already. From BengalsWire:
“The Cincinnati Bengals don’t have much to lose by calling up the Tennessee Titans about offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson right now. But it couldn’t hurt the Bengals to throw a mid-to-late-round draft pick out there to see if the Titans bite. The Bengals need help along the offensive line badly. Worst-case scenario, Wilson doesn’t work out and they wasted a meager draft pick to give the experiment a chance.”
Ryan Tracy of RGR Football said that if the Chiefs do go after him that Wilson is not worth more than a 7th round pick at the most. I was thinking 4th at the most prior to hearing him say that… but Veach decides he’s interested, a 5th is likely the best he’ll offer in which case, I’d expect another team will be willing to offer a better 5th round pick than the Chiefs could offer. So, the chances of Wilson coming here seems minimal.
The problem with a move like that — from the Titans to the Bengals — is that it’s not even a sideways move… it’s purely a downhill proposition. If he were to come to K.C. on a one-year tryout deal, he could end up with a payday down the line on top of a ring to show for his travails.
Coming full circle, the question is: would Andy Reid be willing to take a risk on a young guy who has shown no signs of contrition… yet.
The Chiefs are in a peculiar place with their offensive line, needing to reboot and stockpile the talent pool for the long haul. Especially now that they have a King worthy of building a fortress castle wall around. So far however, Reid has gotten away with using two pathetic approaches: OL on a shoestring, or the band aid on the run. Because of his tendencies to cut-and-paste this position together… and because he likes to spend his cap dollars elsewhere… bringing Isaiah Wilson to K.C. doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibilities at all. However, the Titans won’t be doing the Chiefs any favors in a trade, even if they have blown last year’s first round pick on a guy who doesn’t want to play for them anymore.
Maybe his old college teammate, Mecole Hardman, could offer some insight into Wilson. .
Matt Conner over at ArrowheadAddict points out that one of the reasons the Chiefs may want to go after Wilson is their cap situation:
“Instead of going for the sure thing, the Chiefs might be tempted to take on a very low-level investment with the hopes of tapping into the potential that Wilson obviously has. Given the salary cap constraints for the Chiefs, this might be a preferred way to go if you like to retain your draft picks for the sake of bringing aboard cost-controlled talent.”
Conner goes on to explain that many times these kinds of low-rent risks don’t work out:
“Unfortunately for the Chiefs, change-of-scenery moves like one for Wilson rarely work out. Cam Erving never blossomed in Kansas City as a former first-round pick and the Chiefs lost a 5th round pick in that deal. Reggie Ragland never became the heart and soul of the Chiefs defense after flipping a fourth rounder for him.”
Matt Conner also mentions Martinas Rankin as a deal that hasn’t worked out, but it;s too early to say on that front, IMHO.
While it’s clear the Titans are open to trading Wilson, it may not work out for any team who goes after him:
Chiefs long time division rival, the Las Vegas Raiders, are rumored to be interested in Wilson too. In a piece for SBNation by Bill Williamson called, “Pros and Cons of a Raiders Pursuit of Titans Tackles Isaiah Wilson” he says:
“He was a first-round pick for a reason. The Raiders are well coached on the offensive line by Tom Cable. He could be a steal.“
Does anyone else see the problem with placing an already troubled player in Las Vegas?
The cost for such a move might be more in line with what Ryan Tracy suggests too:
In fact, the Titans may have to end up releasing the first round pick. Then, he’ll be on his own and can decide for himself who he’ll sign with. I was asked recently if the Chiefs should be interested in OL Orlando Brown who is on the trading block in Baltimore? He has the size and skills, but would likely be a disruption to the locker room. So, I think not. The question was also posed yesterday if the Chief should be interested in Nick Martin, a Center who the Texans just cut? Martin was drafted in the 2nd round in 2016 by Houston out of Notre Dame and goes 6-foot-4 and 295 lbs., which makes him lighter in the britches than Austin Reiter (and we know how that turned out in SB LV), plus, Martin never sniffed a Pro Bowl. Also, Martin scored lower than Reiter by PFF this year: 56.1 to 70.9. So, that would be a “No” on Martin and I’m also hoping Veach has other plans to bring in a much better Center, so that he doesn’t have to re-sign Reiter. All along the OL, K.C. needs: Stud Muffins, Dancing Bears, a Barricade of Behemoths… you get the idea. Wilson could work… but not Martin.
Draft Note: I find it quite interesting that the Texans have cut a Center, so they must have plans to replace him this offseason. For now, it looks like they’ll be rolling with Cohl Cabral, who was signed by the Rams as a UDFA last year.
What do you think about bringing Isaiah Wilson aboard for a low round pick? Is he worth taking a flyer on?
Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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