Win, Lose, or Draw: Chiefs So Far in Free Agency

Please allow me to introduce our newest writer here at ArrowheadOne: Wesley Peel. Wesley was born and raised in an Air Force family and while growing up moved every few years. Much of his family is from different parts of Missouri, and as time went by, he has felt more of a connection to Missouri as well. Wesley said he’s been a sports fan since he was a kid and that, “I would gladly plop down on the couch next to my grandpa and take in the awesomeness of the Kansas City Chiefs! The red and gold bring emotions up, Arrowhead is hallowed ground, legends like Derrick Thomas, Dale Carter, Tamba Hali, and Jamaal Charles will forever be my favorite NFL players.” Wesley says he still thinks about how much my grandpa would have enjoyed watching Patrick Mahomes lead this team, and then says of his grandpa, “But I know he has the best seat of us all now.” Like so many of us, Wesley grew up loving sports, but also enjoyed watching Michael Jordan and the Bulls plus, he was a fan of two-way players like: Bo Jackson, when he played for the Royals and the Raiders, and Deion Sanders, who played for the Braves and Falcons. Wesley suffered through the Chiefs years when they had some pretty rough QB situations like: Steve DeBerg, Dave Krieg, Steve Bono, Elvis Grbac, and Rich Gannon. Wesley said he, “Got to enjoy the twilight of Joe Montana and then the surprise of Trent Green, but being a Chiefs for the last three decades was rough.” Wesley is a veteran, a Christian, a proud father, a Chiefs Season Ticket Holder, a diehard Royals fan, and proud to call Missouri home.

Please help me give a warm welcome to Wesley Peel. –Laddie Morse, Editor for ArrowheadOne.

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Win, Lose, or Draw: Chiefs So Far in Free Agency – Alright, Chiefs Kingdom, here we sit three weeks after the 2021 NFL legal tampering period began. Brett Veach and his team have made a couple of moves, most notably signing OG Joe Thuney to a five-year $80M contract, but they’ve also taken some shots reported by most media outlets and missed their target, the biggest miss of those being OT Trent Williams, who signed a six-year $138M contract with the San Francisco 49ers, according to NFL.com. As a fan, the question we have to ask is, do you believe the team is better, worse, or on the cusp of being much better than it was three weeks ago?

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So, how do we figure out if the team is better or not? Let us start by breaking down the moves Veach has made, or not made, into three categories, win, lose, or draw. After we have done that, we will look at what may happen in the rest of free agency leading up to the draft.

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For the Win

As was mentioned earlier, Veach started free agency with a bang, signing Joe Thuney on 3/15/21 reported by @RapSheet on Twitter.

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This move was a massive get for Kansas City, as Thuney has been one of the highest performing and most reliable guards in the game the last few years. Thuney has played in 80 straight regular-season games since being drafted by New England in 2016, according to Pro Football Reference. Kansas City can use a reliable offensive lineman after seeing eight of their linemen go down with injuries at different points during the 2020 season. During the Super Bowl, the impact of these injuries was front and center, when only Austin Reiter was still playing in the position he played in week one of the season. It was apparent to everyone watching the Super Bowl that the Chiefs lost because they could not protect Patrick Mahomes. Thuney improves that and does it consistently!

Call that a win.

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Veach followed up the Thuney move by signing Kyle Long to a one-year, $5M deal. Long retired after the 2019 season, spent 2020 healing, working out, and should be ready to compete for a starting job. He also brought journeyman OG Mike Remmers back to potentially fill the swing tackle need or compete with rookie Lucas Niang for the RT position. Both of these moves provide depth to a team that needs it.

Another win.

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Jeremy Fowler announced the most recent win for Veach on his Twitter account (@JFowlerESPN) that the Chiefs were expecting to sign Jarran Reed, a Defensive Tackle released from the Seattle Seahawks.

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Reed has tallied 22 sacks in 72 games since being drafted in 2016. He played with Frank Clark in Seattle in 2018, and that was his most successful season, with 10.5 sacks. Most pundits believe this will help the Chief’s defensive line and provide an additional pass rusher, a vital piece lacking in last year’s defense. A third down line of Clark, Reed, Nnadi, and Jones sounds dangerous.

I call this a win.

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Add these to the loss column

Mentioned at the beginning of this column and all over the internet, Veach was heavily involved in the sweepstakes to sign OT Trent Williams. Several sources have reported the Chiefs were in it until the end, but Williams ultimately decided to stay in San Francisco, signing a six-year contract. In an article at The Athletic (subscription required), Williams said he spoke with Mahomes, who pushed hard for the tackle to sign with K.C.. With Williams at LT and Thuney at LG, it would have assured Mahomes could trust his blind side would be protected for years to come… and Veach almost made it happen. Almost.

The most significant loss of free agency.

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Another big hole on the roster for the Chiefs is the second wide receiver. Mecole Hardman is sure to improve, but to what extent is it still in question after a mediocre sophomore season. Veach must have agreed and pursued Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, offering him a one-year $8 million deal with incentives. Smith-Schuster decided to gamble on a known quantity of the Steelers offense and his position as the #1 receiver, hoping to have a good year and cash in next year’s free agency when the salary cap should increase.

Another loss for Veach.

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K.C. had a couple of free agents in for a visit, DE Melvin Ingram and CB K’Waun Williams. K’Waun had a good visit but ended up signing back with the 49ers on a one-year deal. Ingram reportedly had a good visit and is currently exploring his options, expecting to have many suitors. Whether or not Veach is still pursuing Ingram is still in question. Adding his talent, when healthy, to a defensive line including Clark, Jones, and Reed, would make it a formidable unit for offenses to compete with every week.

This one still ends up in the loss column.

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We’ll just call it a draw

Veach has worked diligently to retain some pieces we’ve come to know in K.C. over the last few years. Tight Ends, Blake Bell and Nick Keizer, are returning for another year, plus stalwarts Demarcus Robinson and Daniel Sorensen are back as well. Elijah McGuire is coming back to help add depth to a Running Back room that said goodbye to Super Bowl hero Damien Williams. Damien found a new home with the Chicago Bears on a one-year deal after sitting out the 2020 season for family reasons related to COVID-19.

These moves don’t move the needle a lot, so I will count them as a draw.

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In a move that could potentially end up in the win column, K.C. managed to convince DE Taco Charlton to return on a one-year deal. Charlton showed some flash and potential before being injured in a Week 9 game against the Carolina Panthers. Charlton had two sacks and a forced fumble in seven games for the Chiefs, and they hope he can provide some of that production regularly opposite of Clark in 2021.

However, for now, with him coming off a season-ending injury, we have to put this in the draw column.

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While I was working on this article, Veach has been working as well. On March 30th, The Athletics’ Nate Taylor reported the Chiefs signed Center Austin Blythe to a one-year deal.

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The Chiefs were considering bringing Austin Reiter back to serve at OC, so this move fills a void. In 2016, Indianapolis drafted Blythe in the seventh round, and the Los Angeles Rams claimed him off waivers in 2017. According to Pro Football Reference, Blythe has 71 games in his career, most notably starting each game over the last three seasons. Blythe also has played in six playoff games, adding to the veteran experience of Thuney, LDT, & Long.

Most reports consider Blythe and Reiter to be on the same level talent-wise, so we will chalk this one up as a draw for now. However, an essential draw in the protection of Mahomes.

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What now?

The Chiefs remaining holes are at LT, WR2, LDE, SAM LB, and CB. There are still some viable free-agent options like Russell Okung and Alejandro Villanueva at LT, Larry Fitzgerald and Cordarrelle Patterson at WR, Jadeveon Clowney and Justin Houston at DE, K.J. Wright and Eric Wilson at LB, and Richard Sherman and Bashaud Breeland at CB. Does Veach see any of these options as viable candidates to help this team push for its 6th consecutive AFC West Title? I’ve seen rumors in reports that the Chiefs have checked in on OT Russell Okung, and they brought Ingram in for a FA visit, so he may still be an option.

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I would like to see them reach out to Houston about a possible reunion after his two-year stint with Indianapolis, where he started all 32 games, tallied 19 sacks, and forced three fumbles. If the team and Houston did not burn all the bridges, fans would welcome him back with open arms, and he could provide a reliable pass rusher. Frank Clark, Jarran Reed, Chris Jones, and Justin Houston as a defensive line… would be scary good and probably keep Offensive Coordinators up all night.

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The last addition from the remaining free agents I’d like to see Veach go after is re-signing CB Bashaud Breeland. There are reports the two are communicating, and if Breeland cannot find the long-term deal he desires, Veach would like to discuss bringing him back. Breeland has played well for the Chiefs over the last two seasons and provides veteran leadership to a young cornerback room. The Chiefs have Ward returning after tendering him, plus: rookie sensation L’Jarius Sneed, Rashad Fenton, Bopete Keyes, and Deandre Baker, who played well for the team before suffering an injury in week 17. Fans love Breeland, so do his teammates, and having him back would solidify a strength for the defense. If Veach can make these moves, or at least shore up a couple of the open positions, it will provide him a lot of flexibility in the upcoming draft.

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Overall, this team is in a good position and an overwhelming favorite to return to the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season. Calm down Chiefs Twitter, it will all be ok. Some of you all act like you don’t remember the days of Dave Krieg, Steve DeBerg, and Elvis Grbac.

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Wesley Peel — ArrowheadOne

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