Locked on Chiefs: Help still needed at inside linebacker
By Ryan Tracy
Lost amongst fever for a potential franchise quarterback is the still-crucial deficit in the middle of the Kansas City Chiefs defense. The Chiefs work is not done.
Rumors abound over this weekend about the status of 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman in San Francisco. Bowman is rumored to be available for trade at the right price. The size of that price tag may very well determine whether the Chiefs can afford to be interested in such a move or not.
The status of Derrick Johnson seems to be on the uptick for him be available for the regular season. John Dorsey and Andy Reid had better hope so. The Chiefs defense down the stretch in 2016 was atrocious against the run. Despite blame being thrown at Dontari Poe most of the offseason, the truth is Derrick Johnson is irreplaceable at the center of the second level of the Chiefs defense. Even if Johnson is regular-season-ready, he needs help.
Bowman has had injury issues in the past and would carry a decent sized price tag. His contract has him at a cap number of $9.6 million and 2017 before it goes up to $12 million in 2018. Any thought of Bowman and Kansas City would likely require both cutting a veteran with a significant salary; as well as, pre-negotiating a new contract. That is a tall order that the Chiefs may have better luck filling somewhere else.
Other veterans are still available. Kansas City has already seen Rey Maualuga and Gerald Hodges. Both of them could be bargains at this point in the offseason. While the staff is comfortable with their young talent, the team likely needs another veteran in the mix for training camp.
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