Five Free Agents that the Kansas City Chiefs Should Target
By Hunter Haas
The Kansas City Chiefs are still in the early stages of the Mahomes era, but with the recent acquisition of Russell Wilson by the Broncos, things are not going to get any easier in the AFC West.
The AFC West now features Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Russell Wilson, and Derek Carr. That is absurd! The top-three are dominating the conversation, but Carr helped drag the Raiders to the playoffs — in spite of the numerous roadblocks they endured as a franchise in 2021.
As long as Mahomes is still around, the Kansas City Chiefs will likely always be viewed as the favorite. However, with the added talent at quarterback — not only in division, but the entire conference — it would behoove the team to stack the roster even more around their MVP quarterback.
General manager Brett Veach recently placed the franchise tag on left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., so that’s a major task to cross off the “offseason to-do” list. The offensive line is a strong point for the present and the future after a complete rebuild during the 2021 offseason.
Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce are arguably the best at each of their respective positions in the entire NFL. To be honest, though, the skill position players around them leave much to be desired. They don’t have a true number two wide receiver. Also, Darrel Williams is slated for free agency currently so that just leaves the inconsistent former first-round pick — Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Free Agents the Kansas City Chiefs should sign
On the defensive side, the team already parted ways with linebacker Anthony Hitchens in effort to clear some cap space. Defensive end Frank Clark could be the next one to receive a pink slip. A third starter — Tyrann Mathieu — is also a candidate to leave, as he is set to hit the market when free agency opens next week. Furthermore, cornerback Charvarius Ward will be sought after in free agency due to his youth and experience as a starter.
In the event that the Chiefs lose all four of these guys, it is going to require some savvy moves this offseason to replace their talent. The team has four picks within the first two days of the draft and — with their track record of drafting — they might find their replacements with those picks alone.
Keeping that in mind, let’s take a look at five free agents that make sense for the Kansas City Chiefs.