Kansas City Chiefs Planning For Life After Dontari Poe

The Kansas City Chiefs may already be looking at their future beyond one of their top defensive stars, based on recent draft rumors.

Few teams have had to navigate the minefield of internal free agency more than the Chiefs over the past few seasons.  Their talented roster has taken a number of hits lately with players like Sean Smith and Jeff Allen leaving for other teams.  Thus far they’ve managed to survive such losses in the past thanks to the combined efforts of GM John Dorsey and head coach Andy Reid.

How do they do it?  According to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, it centers around a specific style of drafting.  A style that could mean a cloudy future for another of their notable players based on the team pay structure.

"“The Chiefs stick to a strict “draft ahead” philosophy, and looking at future free agents, a coach there says a nose tackle in Round 1 wouldn’t be a surprise. Other areas of consideration, per the coach, are wide receiver and cornerback. The team would like to add a quarterback but may not be able to without a third-round pick, according to a scouting contact.”"

Nose tackle would mean they fully expect Pro Bowl nose tackle Dontari Poe to depart in 2017 when his contract expires.  As it stands the Chiefs are expected to have the fifth-fewest amount of salary cap space going into that year.  It’s almost guaranteed he will demand more money than his teammate Jaye Howard just got ($10 million for two seasons) if he has another good year.

That may not sound like much compared to other positions but 3-4 nose tackles tend not to have as long a shelf life in the NFL.  This is due to the constant pounding their bodies take as well as the excessive amount of weight they carry can often cause them to lose their lower body strength and explosion faster.

Given the depth of this defensive line class in the 2016 NFL draft, it stands to reason they feel they can find a suitable replacement for Poe and focus their money at improving other roster areas.

Time and the board will help clarify what their options will be.  If the Kansas City Chiefs do indeed add a nose tackle early, the message will be loud and clear about what their plans are.