KC Chiefs Offseason: Keep em’ Or Can em’?

The Kansas City Chiefs are in the midst of their offseason evaluation process and when they are finished, they will have some big decisions to make on which of their players they would like to re-sign.

The Kansas City Star currently lists 25 Chiefs without a contract heading into next season. There are some big names and so not so big names.

We’ll break down all 25 and decide who gets an invitation back, after the jump.

LB Charlie Anderson

Anderson was with the team all season and did absolutely nothing. I don’t believe he was ever really used. He is 29 and is probably a goner if uprgrades are made at the LB position.

RB Jackie Battle

Battle needs to come back. As a runner is isn’t useful for anything more than the occasional sort yardage carry but he quietly put together a decent season on special teams registering 11 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.

CB Brandon Carr

Unless the Chiefs are planning on signing Nnamdi Asomugha they had better ink Carr quickly. The other Brandon had a very good season and is showing continued development, which is a good sign.

FB Tim Castille

Castille is only 26 but the Chiefs don’t appear to be too impressed with him. He caught a couple of passes out of the backfield (10 for 43 yards) but only recorded 2 tackles on special teams in 10 games of action.

The Chiefs can probably do better.

WR Terrance Copper

Copper is 28 and had 18 catches for 157 yards on a team with absolutely no receivers. He did add 11 tackles on special teams in 16 games of action. Special teams is very important and Copper is pretty good. He is a bottom of the roster guy and the Chiefs will get him cheap.

He stays.

QB Brodie Croyle

I think Croyle’s time in Kansas City is up. There are enough halfway decent backup-type QB’s floating around out there that the Chiefs can find someone less brittle and with more experience.

TE Brad Cottam

This is probably the end of the line for Cottam. The arrival of Tony Moeaki pretty much spelled doom for Big Brad. The Chiefs might throw him a none and let him come to camp and try to earn a spot but his injury history and time away from football probably means he is finished.

FB Mike Cox

He may have the name of a porn star but Haley doesn’t appear to be a fan. Cox was inactive for multiple games this year, meaning he didn’t even have value on special teams.

He’s a goner.

WR Kevin Curtis

Curtis caught one ball for 3 yards for the Chiefs in the playoff loss to the Ravens. He is 32 and has hardly played the last two years. I doubt they bring him back.

CB Travis Daniels

Daniels is 28 and had 8 tackles and got a pick when he had to start vs. the Seahawks. I remember reports out of training camp that Daniels always seemed to be coming up with picks and he had one in his very limited game action for the Chiefs this year. The problem is likely that Daniels stinks at covering guys, maybe because he is always going for interceptions.

Daniels is on the downside of his career and I expect the Chiefs to add more solid CB depth this offseason. I doubt he will be back.

DT Ron Edwards

Big Ron did a nice job in the NT position this year but he needs to be replaced. That doesn’t mean the Chiefs shouldn’t re-sign the big veteran. He knows the defense and has a couple of years experience in the position.

Still, he is 31 and the Chiefs need a long term answer at the NT position. I say bring Big Ron back and give yourself some depth.

DE Wallace Gilberry

Gilberry had 7 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in limited snaps for the Chiefs. His problem is that he is out of position playing DE in a 3-4 defense. With his pass rushing skills, Gilberry could be a real force at DE in a 4-3 defense.

He is 26 and he is listed at 268 pounds. By comparison, Tyson Jackson is 296 pounds and Tamba Hali is 275. The Chiefs should seriously consider giving Gilberry a look at OLB, especially if they plan to give Tyson Jackson more playing time at DE next season. A Studebaker, Gilberry platoon might work ok.

Anyone but…

LB Mike Vrabel

Thanks for your service Mike. Time to hang them up. The Chiefs have to move away from Vrabel.

LB Cory Greenwood

Greenwood is that LB that was a top pick in the Canadian Football League. He is only 25 and recorded 11 tackles for the Chiefs this season. He has a ton of upside and is something of a project for the Chiefs. They liked him enough to keep him active for all the games so he will probably be back.

LB Tamba Hali

Are you kidding? Pay the man.

CB Maurice Leggett

Leggett was on IR again for the season. He is done for.

LB Corey Mays

Mays had 6 tackles all season. To be fair, he didn’t play a ton. Mays has a lot of experience from starting in 2009 and the Chiefs are shallow on depth so unless they plan on going nuts loading up on linebackers it might not be a bad idea to bring this guy back as a third stringer.

S Jon McGraw

McGraw is 31 and has a ton of veteran experience. He isn’t a guy you really want playing too many snaps for you but you do want him as a backup/veteran leader in the secondary. KC’s safeties are so young that the team is lucky to have a veteran presence in McGraw. They should re-sign him for at least a year to bring along the young guys.

Say what you will about McGraw but Donald Washington is next in line at safety depth and you don’t want Donald Washington as your last line of defense.

OL Rudy Niswanger

Sure, why not? He has experience, he is young and he is the only other center the Chiefs have. Niswanger is a decent backup and a good team guy.

OL Ryan O’Callaghan

Unless the Chiefs have a starting quality tackle in their sites they had better re-sign O’Callaghan. Again, depth.

TE Leonard Pope

Leonard Pope is a better blocker than he gets credit for and he is a decent pass catching option should it come to a worst case scenario. I believe in The Pope.

OL Barry Richardson

Interchangeable with O’Callaghan as far as I am concerned, however Richardson probably has higher upside. He still gets beat too often and I’d like to see a franchise RT but I am comfortable with KC rolling with Richardson for another year. Too many holes to fill.

LB Mark Simoneau

Who?

DL Shaun Smith

If the Chiefs don’t re-sigh Perv I am going to become a Pittsburgh Pirates fan.

C Casey Weigmann

I love Weigmann but the dude is going to be 38 years old next year. Weigmann isn’t the answer. The Chiefs should get him to retire. The team can throw him a huge party, induct him into the KC Hall of Fame and hire him as a coach. He would be the perfect coach for which ever young center the Chiefs draft.

Alright Addicts it is your turn. Who do you think the Chiefs should keep?