The Chiefs Best Free Agent Signings, Thus Far

David Bell

I thought to review the acquisitions from Free Agency that were not on the Chiefs Roster before 2024. At first, I was going to limit it to Newcomers to the Chiefs, but then, as I considered all of the moves for 2024 so far, I shunted to a different view and included re-signing the Chiefs Free Agents as well. I believe these moves are going to help put KC at the top of the AFC Leader Board come conference Championship time.

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DT, Chris Jones

Brett Veach locked up Jones on a 5-year contract with $95M guaranteed.

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CJ – After a Sack – photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports

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I think the back end of the contract will have a null value should the Chiefs decide to move on. That contract was a huge hit for available cap space and why I wrote about my internal debate about trying to get such a deal done. CJ is 29 years old (the magic number age for NFL Players).

Do you recall Andy Reid Pancaking CJ after the Super Bowl Win? Gotta love it and Reid has tremendous respect for Jones and great affection as well.

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Still, CJ is an All-Pro DT. Some view his import to be an effect that there would be no shot at a 3rd Lombardi in a row without him. Jones has figured prominently in all Super Bowl appearances by the Chiefs over the past 5 years, with 3 Trophies added. His import goes beyond sack totals… his play-making has figured prominently in the regular and post-season, sacks, pressures, QB hits, batted balls, and TFLs. Since he was drafted by former GM John Dorsey in 2016, and even before his ascension, I have applauded the move to draft him and have been a huge fan since researching his collegiate play that year.

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Re-signing CJ is the most important Free Agent move of 2024.

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WR, Marquise Brown

Brown’s signing was important and became even more important due to the idiotic moves of WR Rashee Rice in Dallas. Rice will, at the very least, miss some games in 2024 due to a highly likely NFL suspension. I anticipate the suspension will be 6 games while Laddie thinks it might be reduced to 4. Having signed Brown helps alleviate the effect on the aerial game due to Rice’s potential loss to Patrick Mahomes due to his inevitable suspension. Being able to obtain a top WR may indeed be a boon to the Chiefs offense and is, in my mind, the most important addition in 2024 thus far (aside from getting Chris Jones locked down).

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Brown vs. the Rams – Cardinal’s game photo credit

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Here is a video of some of Hollywood Brown plays including an insane TD catch for the Cardinals in 2023 (0:57):

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Brown was made available in 2024 due to declining production in Arizona in 2023. He has had injury problems as well. The decision of the Cardinals to move on from Brown benefited Brett Veach who signed the Free Agent WR to a one-year deal for up to $11M for the coming season. Hollywood Brown is a legitimate deep threat with 4.27 speed, something that has been missing from the Chiefs aerial game since Tyreek Hill departed. This is crucially important to the Chiefs since they’ve lacked deep speed at the WR position as well as veteran WRs with sure hands to boot. His threat of speed will help to keep opposing Safeties out of the box and give TE Travis Kelce and RB Isiah Pacheco room, and time, to occupy the middle of the field. He is fast enough to be a deep threat and will bring that to the table for Patrick Mahomes in 2024. A big unknown fact is, Brown’s route tree is extensive as well and he will be a complete tool for Reid’s offense.

Due to Rashee Rice’s fallacious faux pas, I suspect GM Brett Veach will try to add another F/A WR in the 2024 offseason as well as draft a player for the position.

Brown has already begun work with Patrick Mahomes down here in Texas. That is informative and important to get the comfort level with Brown for the upcoming campaign. Let’s hope that the injury bug(2021-2023)has departed and Brown will be available each week of 2024.

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LB, Drue Tranquill

There was no doubt in my mind in 2023 that the signing of Drue Tranquill would be a huge “get” for Brett Veach. It was. I had admired Tranquill from afar and it appears that the same was true for GM Brett Veach and his team.

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Tranquill – AP Photo Credit

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For the next 3 seasons, Drue is locked-in to the Kingdom via a 3-year $19M Contract with $13M guaranteed! To be sure, I was sad that LB Willie Gay departed in Free Agency, but Drue’s skillset compliments the Chiefs second line of defense perfectly, including taking on the role of the “Green Dot LB” which he did in 2023 when Nick Bolton was injured and unavailable.

Tranquill is the most versatile LB among all of the crew. He’s good at diagnosing plays of the opposing offense and he is a very good pass-defending LB. Veach, Reid, and Co. had a close-up view of Tranquill twice yearly facing the Chargers each season. I truly loved this signing last year and this year’s re-signing was a windfall.

Watching Tranquill in 2023, I am convinced he loves being a Chief… plus, he has said so.

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PU, Matt Araiza

Since the Chiefs allowed Punter Tommy Townsend to slide out and depart in free agency, and knowing that the lawsuit against Araiza had been dismissed, picking up Araiza should result in a seamless takeover for the roll. Besides that? I like his haircut far more than Townsend’s. 😊

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Punter Matt Araiza -Buffalo Bills game photo

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Araiza has great distance on his punts and places the ball well when punting into the red zone. There will be a learning curve as Matt joins a new kicking team, but he is a very good punter and proven in the NFL. Getting Araiza aboard will be another feather in GM Brett Veach’s hat!

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TE Irv Smith

Smith is another TE added to the group. He is a receiving threat and his addition is probably an indication that the Chiefs will utilize 13-personnel offensive sets more frequently in 2024. Smith’s targets dropped in the last two years on the Bengal’s offense which is how the Chiefs were able to pick him up as a Free Agent. What he brings to the table probably depends on Smith staying available, week-in-week-out. Irv Smith has an opportunity to excel with the Chiefs as a target for Patrick Mahomes. He has great athleticism and should become a viable #2 TE behind Travis Kelce. I am positive that Brett Veach was completely aware of Smith at the time of the 2019 draft when he was a second-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings with pick #50.

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Irv Smith Bengal’s game photo – credit photo to Albert Cesare -USA TODAY Sports

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The Best of the Rest

Most of the players in this part of the list are familiar with Chiefs faces and largely reconstitute the Defensive Front for DL Coach Joe Cullen.

DT Derrick Nnadi

Nnadi is a known commodity on IDL for DL Coach Joe Cullen. He is a 6th-year starter opposite DT Chris Jones, and with him and Mike Danna who was also re-signed, the defensive Front from 2023 is intact. Nnadi is an IDL that is used for stopping the run and is rotated out on passing downs.

DE Mike Danna

The Chiefs have retained all of the major contributors on the DL. Up until the 2023 season, I did not think much about Danna but he had 6.5 sacks last season–the best year since he was drafted by the Chiefs in 2019. My View of Danna shifted to the positive side of the ledger due to 2023’s production and this is especially important since we don’t know how quickly versatile DL Charles Omenihu will be able to return to play(Torn ACL late in the season).

DT Tershawn Wharton

Wharton is another member of the IDL for Cullen’s rotation. Wharton is a 4-year pro for the Chiefs, and also basically used for stopping the run though he had two sacks in 2023.

S Deon Bush

Bush was mainly used on Special Teams for Dave Toub though his moxy was on display in the AFC Championship game in which he intercepted a pass late in the game which helped seal the victory.

RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire

I admit that I was wrong about CEH from the beginning. He has failed to impress me much in the running game though his pass-catching is worthy. After 2022, I thought he might be released. The same is true this year, but the Chiefs tendered him an offer so he will be the #2 or #3 RB in 2024. It’s my hope they find a different RB for RB #2.

After the Super Bowl parade last year, I was quite irritated that he skipped the event. Still, according to multiple sources close to the team, he is well-loved in the clubhouse. However, I still would like to see the Chiefs sign a free agent RB to compliment Isiah Pacheco’s running style, or at least draft an RB who has speed as a primary skill and who can play at the NFL level quickly. CEH will do, as the #3 RB in my view. Oh. I’d prefer to see Jerick McKinnon back on the roster for 2024.

LS James Winchester

Winchester was first signed in 2015 and has been the Chiefs Long Snapper since then. He is dependable and familiar with the Chiefs special teams unit. Losing Tommy Townsend to free agency meant that the Chiefs would lose 2 members of the Kicking game unless they retained Winchester. He is back on a 1-year deal. I think this is a solid move by Brett Veach for that reason.

That runs the gambit of the Chiefs Major Transactions for the 2024 offseason, so far. It appears to me that the defensive front will be solid and the missing piece for which no move has been made is signing a free-agent CB to replace L’Jarius Sneed. I am unsure that such a move will be made, but the Chiefs have CB coach Dave Merritt and decent depth for the role, as it is.

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David Bell — ArrowheadOne

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