Which Free Agents Complete the Chiefs?
With the new CBA likely to include a mandate for each NFL team to spend at least 90% of the salary cap, the Kansas City Chiefs are on the verge of being compelled into spending in free agency. For the team, this can be a curse (cap management is going to be hell for the next few years), as well as a blessing (as in a potential splash of exciting new talent landing in Kansas City as a result).
As we wade into these waters, I follow in Nicholas’ footsteps and list the free agents I want to see in Chiefs uniforms.
The key equation, by which I set this entire list into motion: What free agents will best justify the payday he will receive to come to Kansas City? This list is in order, based on that metric.
As a result, no “big” names make this list, because none of the big names that are available in free agency this year (Sidney Rice, Nnamdi Asomugha, Eric Weddle, Ray Edwards) would justify the major payday they’d warrant for the Chiefs future Super Bowl aspirations.
Some higher-end “medium” names do make the list (including the guy at the very top of the list), and plenty of small names that the average fan doesn’t know are all over the list. The Kansas City Chiefs are largely built for 2011, anyway. There are a couple major positions this team could use a starter at, but for the most part, the Chiefs have the pieces in place that they like, and will be likely just be in the hunt for depth in free agency.
And that’s how you know this team is being built the right way. The NFL Draft is at the heart of this team’s development. This entire wishlist is for players that could fill that key hole that our drafts have yet to plug.
I list fourteen players, their most recent team, and the payday I’d be willing to throw at them to seal the deal.
After the jump.
My list goes as follows:
1. WR Lance Moore, Saints
(Bring him in: 5 years, $20 million, $3 million guaranteed)
The Chiefs are largely built the way they want to be for this upcoming season. The few holes that remain are role players and the one positionthat has completely vexed this franchise since Scott Pioli arrived: slot receiver. The Chiefs have made two failed attempts at drafting a slot receiver since Pioli arrived, with Quentin Lawrence in 2009 and Dexter McCluster in 2010. They tried picking up Lance Long and Bobby Wade. And guys like Verron Tucker and Jeremy Horne are on the bubble.
Merlin has already written a well-argued piece detailing the Lance Moore’s value. He’s an unrestricted free agent after two great years as a terror in the slot in New Orleans. He fits the pedigree of a classic Pioli player: he is high character, extremely football smart (his highlights often include outsmarting the many zones used to try slowing down Drew Brees), and comes from an ultra-winning organization. His addition would be a huge acquisition for a franchise attempting to beef up its offensive firepower.
The biggest issue is that he will require a bit of a payday to get him out of New Orleans. At 27 years of age, Lance Moore is my one and only “must get” of the offseason.
2. RB Jason Snelling, Falcons
(Bring him in: 3 years, $12 million, $2 million guaranteed)
Thomas Jones is not the answer as the Chiefs big back; he is everything your heart desires in the locker room but it was very evident that he broke down as the year wore on. Our big back needs to get some decent yardage, but even moreso, we need him to endure punishment so that Jamaal Charles can stay fresh all year. It’s very clear that this role may be beyond the 33-year old, and Jackie Battle simply can’t break the lineup. It was surprising the Chiefs didn’t pursue any big back in the draft.
At 5’11, 223 lbs, Snelling is my favorite big back on the market. He’s not a bruiser, per se, but this offense was meant for more athletic backs, not pure downhill runners. Snelling has a few moves in his repetoire, but what you’re getting with him in is a reliable four yards a carry, a Red Zone threat, and a very good route runner for a big back.
Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff and Pioli often chase the same kind of players, so he clearly fits our team philosophy. And at 27, he’s got several years ahead of him.
3. OT James Lee, Buccaneers / OT Jeremy Trueblood, Buccaneers
(Bring him in: 3 years, $9 million)
The Chiefs tackle position falls into the “good enough” category, even though LT Branden Albert and RT Barry Richardson are both facing come-to-Jesus seasons with the Chiefs. Both players are excellent run-blockers but haven’t protected our Franchise QB Upon Whom All Depends worth a lick. Richardson in particular is a sieve on the right side of the line, so expect our new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Bill Muir to tap the reserve of free agent tackles he knows from his time in Tampa Bay.
Trueblood is a certainty to hit free agency; the Bucs brought Lee in to replace Trueblood midway through the season, but both players are roughly equal in talent and neither one would require that big of a payday. Neither Lee or Trueblood’s pass protection is going to blow your mind, but depth is sorely needed at tackle on the offensive line, and nobody’s going to argue against giving Barry Richardson some competition.
Lee (age: 25) would be the real gem here, at least compared to Trueblood (age: 28) as he is an overachiever and true leader on the field. Muir will certainly think he can coach up either player.
4. S Brodney Pool, Jets
(Bring him in: 3 years, $10 million)
The Chiefs also sorely lack depth at safety. Starters Eric Berry and Kendrick Lewis aren’t going anywhere, but who’s behind them? Perpetual disappointment Donald Washington? Jon McGraw is a free agent, but we can assume the Chiefs will resign him based on his leadership in the players camps, but even then he’s an iffy free safety. And there is no backup strong safety on this team, period.
Pool is a swing safety, and can play either position, but his size (6’2″, 214 lbs) is desperately needed to spell the exhausted Eric Berry, who plays more snaps than any other defender on the field, even Glenn Dorsey. This is a fairly low pricetag for a guy who has connections to a handful of teams across the league, but Pool has a history of concussions that will certainly drive down the price and force teams to search out healthier options. The Chiefs could get a deal if they brought him in.
Bringing in Pool, even moreso than spelling Berry, will no doubt push Kendrick Lewis at the other safety position. At the age of 27, he’s got a lot of time left and he’s that good.
5. C Tim Barnes, Missouri
(Bring him in: standard UDFA payout)
The Chiefs drafted Rodney Hudson in the second round, and while experts agree that Hudson projects to center, he played guard incredibly well all four years at Florida State and has virtually no experience playing center. Being able to sight rushing packages and blocking assignments is a tough demand of a rookie, and few of them are able to handle the duties. While I hope Hudson succeeds, the Chiefs must hedge their bets at center in case a shift to guard is necessary. There’s a need to hedge our bets at the position.
I have absolutely no idea why Tim Barnes wasn’t drafted. We here at AA (as well as you the readers) love him. He is an agile center that has manned the position for several years. He’s an excellent fit for the zone blocking scheme that our run game employs, is a local talent and has great football intelligence. We can expect that some team will get a steal if land him. Let’s hope it’s the Chiefs.
6. QB Nate Davis, Seahawks
(Bring him in: 2 years, $4 million)
The Chiefs can throw in their season if, for any reason, Matt Cassel goes down with injury. Ricky Stanzi is a rookie with all the right tools, but rookies are going to suffer this year after the lockout, and QBs will suffer the most of all. An option the Chiefs might consider is bringing in a veteran — not necessarily one of those 10-year, they’ve-seen-it-all washed up vets, but perhaps they could opt for a younger guy looking for his second contract.
That’s Nate Davis (age: 24), a highly thought of rookie prospect who has bounced around in the league for a couple years since becoming a 5th rounder in the ’09 Draft. Davis is a phenomenal athlete, has a strong arm, and at least when he was a draft prospect, was a more advanced coverage reader than his peers. He hasn’t had much of an opportunity to foster that ability in Seattle, but the Chiefs could use him behind Cassel as the team grooms Stanzi and other late-round Draft prospects for the next few years.
7. OG/C David Baas, 49ers
(Bring him in: 2 years, $4 million)
The offensive line continues to be the greatest unknown for the Chiefs in the upcoming season. We don’t know if Casey Wiegmann is going to retire, we don’t know if Brian Waters is going to stay on the team, we don’t know if the Chiefs are happy enough with Albert on the left side, or Richardson on the right, we don’t know if Rudy Niswanger is going to be re-signed, and we don’t know who’s going to provide us depth at any of the five positions along the offensive line.
So there are a number of circumstances that could lead to the Chiefs signing Baas, who may simply re-sign with the Niners. But if he hits the free agency market, he’s a guy that could provide the interior line with the valuable depth it needs, especially if the team starts Asamoah and lets Waters go. Baas (age: 29) is more of a natural guard than he is a center, as he’s a big 6’4″, 330 lbs. But the team needs something other than UDFAs and practice squad material to flesh out its depth.
8. NT Chris Hoke, Steelers
(Bring him in: 3 years, $13 million, $1 million guaranteed)
As he was commentating during the Chiefs valiant loss in the playoffs to the Baltimore Ravens, Phil Simms had relayed something one of the Ravens (don’t remember who) had said about playing Kansas City: the Chiefs defensive line’s job is to occupy offensive lineman, and we believe that if we keep hitting them in the mouth, it will wear them down over the course of the game. This is coming right from the mouth of your opponents.
Chris Hoke is by far the oldest guy on this list (35 years old), but this is a team in need of a stopgap starter at NT since Ron Edwards has yet to play a solid game in December for the Haley regime. The draft prospects for nose tackles is pathetic in the 2012 Draft at this point, and while it sounds crazy, the team’s best shot to fix this position might just be to hire a temporary guy like Hoke and do everything in our power to land a stud in 2013.
Hoke himself is beyond quality when you surround him with the right players. It would take some work to pry him away from Pittsburg, but he played superbly in Casey Hampton’s place — seriously, the team didn’t even skip a beat. Despite being a little light for a nose (slightly north of 300 lbs), he’d be the 2011 offseason’s version of Casey Wiegmann, and good to hold down the spot for a year.
9. NT Ian Williams, Notre Dame
(Bring him in: Standard UDFA payout)
The Chiefs did wear down on their defensive front last January. A large reason for that is the severe lack of depth along the defensive line — which we’ve mostly addressed this offseason. We drafted DE Allen Bailey and NT Jerrell Powe, and the team now seems willing to resign both DE Shaun Smith and NT Ron Edwards. While this gives us some beef, the Chiefs will simply need more if they plan on having their exhausting style of defense last all season.
If someone like Hoke isn’t a possibility, the UDFA waters may be worth wading in. AA has already had extensive conversation about the incredible talent remaining in the UDFA poolthat didn’t get drafted in April. Several of those names sprinkle this list, and Ian Williams is definitely one of them. He’s a bull of a nose tackle with a great head on his shoulders (as Fighting Irish typically do). Like Hoke, he’s not exactly a gargantuan (311 lbs.) but he’s got enough fight in him to earn a year or two fighting Jerrell Powe for a roster spot, or even landing on the practice squad.
10. WR Steve Breaston, Cardinals
(Bring him in: 2 years, $5 million)
Breaston is a name that’s been floated out as a possible future Chief as long as Haley’s been here. Well, sometimes the conventional wisdom is conventional for a reason. With Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin absorbing coverages over the past four years, he’s hauled in 187 passes for 2,528 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s a direct influence of what Todd Haley was able to coach out of him, and from taking advantage of defenses converging on the team’s other two receivers.
And, not for nothing, but he has Super Bowl experience and the Chiefs have been in a two-year quest to bring in as many players from winning organizations as possible. At this point they are still lacking for a slot receiver that can properly compliment Dwayne Bowe and Johnny Baldwin, and Breaston could finally provide this team the WR3 it’s seemingly never had.
11. OT Matt Light, Patriots
(Bring him in: 2 years, $10 million, $3 million guaranteed)
Waaaaaaaaaaay down this list is Matt Light, who most fans from the Chiefs blogosphere want to see in red & gold. I do too, and there’s no reason that it won’t happen if the Patriots decide not to make a run on Light, because nobody is better at shopping in-house than Scott Pioli. Light (33 years old) would also make a great right tackle for this team for the next couple of years while the Chiefs hunt for a long-term solution. He could also swing over and man the left should anything happen to Branden Albert. Meanwhile, Barry Richardson settles into the best possible role he could ask for: backup swing tackle, a role he’s excelled at.
The only complaints I’d have about Light is (a.) I’d rather give Richardson or one of the Bucs tackles a shot for the long-term spot, and (b.) he’s going to cost a pretty penny. To land him, I see us spending no less than $10 million with a good chunk of that guaranteed (although I admit, I am not an NFL contract guru, so I plead ignorance). I also happen to believe he’s an injury risk, but that’s not a big enough complaint for me to concern myself with (I still really like Brodney Pool!), and injuries under Todd Haley are notoriously few.
12. ILB Mark Herzlich, Boston College
(Bring him in: 3 years, $4 million)
The inspirational story of the 2011 NFL Draft turned into bitter-sweetness when Herzlich went seven rounds without a single team willing to draft the cancer survivor. Nevertheless, Herzlich remains a 245-lbs force with first-round intangibles and the kind of drive Todd Haley swoons over. It’s entirely possible I am just a Boston College homer (and I am), but Boston College prospects pan out in the NFL far more than most colleges simply because the program is the essence of maturity, which you can see in how Herzlich has handled himself every step of the way.
To cop the line on Pioli’s “Right 53,” Herzlich is capable of playing inside linebacker and outside rushbacker when called upon to do so. This team is stacked for the time being at the outside position, but still needs plenty of help inside, especially for depth. Herzlich’s story, heart, and effort all belong in the Red & Gold. The only setback is that he will likely be in relatively good demand, so he will cost a bit more than your typical UDFA.
13. FS Corey Lynch, Buccaneers
(Bring him in: 2 years, $3 million)
Lynch got some time on the field last year to show what he was worth when Bucs’ then-starting free safety Cody Grimm went out with injury. While he didn’t light the world on fire, he wasn’t a disaster either, and combined with his great youth (26 years old), he could be a great backup with limited upside competing with McGraw and Lewis for playing time. This team has been dying for depth in the secondary to spell its two starters, and Jon McGraw has not replicated his locker room popularity into on field production.
14. OLB Ugo Chinasa, Oklahoma State
(Bring him in: Standard UDFA payout)
The Chiefs have done their best the past three offseasons to bring in a bunch of players to surround Tamba Hali with in order to boost this team’s passrushing: Mike Vrabel, Andy Studebaker, Cameron Sheffield, Justin Houston, and Gabe Miller. Out of all of these players, Tamba Hali is at once the team’s least versatile passrusher, but far and away, still its best.
So perhaps having a one-dimensional passrusher isn’t the worst thing in the world. Ugo Chinasa was always great off the edge at Oklahoma State, but lacks the athleticism you need to get out in coverage or to play the flats appropriately. There are worse ideas than bringing in the undrafted rookie to see if he can be coached up, or if he can rush the passer as well as he did in the Big 12.