Dontari Poe: The Chiefs must find his replacement

Aug 4, 2013; Canton, OH, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Nick Stephens (3) throws a pass as guard David Arkin (62) blocks Miami Dolphins defensive end Vaughn Martin (90) during the second quarter at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

Back in February, the Chiefs signed Vaughn Martin, a journeyman lineman who has not played in a game since 2013. He is occasionally listed as a tackle, but he was a 3-4 defensive end with the Chargers in 2011 and 2012. Even if he were to beat the odds and be healthy and productive again, he’d likely spend most of his time on the outside.

The biggest project of the group is former Samford lineman and 2013 seventh-round pick Nick Williams. Drafted by the Steelers, he essentially redshirted his rookie season while on injured reserve, then saw the field for ten snaps (two on defense) for the Chiefs in 2014. In November 2014, Ian Rapoport tweeted that the Chiefs had their eye on him all year. Rotoworld’s profile on Williams notes that he didn’t begin playing football until his senior year of high school, but his physical abilities and burst make him a candidate for development. The Chiefs could even consider him a front-runner to land the backup job, considering that his two Chiefs snaps in 2014 were more than Nunez-Roches, Tuaau and Martin combined.

With even more urgency coming in light of the news of Poe’s injury, training camp will provide more time for these players to fight for the chance to fill a huge position of need – either behind or in place of Dontari Poe.

For one name outside of the Chiefs organization, especially in light of Poe’s injury, the Chiefs could surely take a look at former Giants and Washington DT Barry Cofield. Washington released Cofield after he played only eight games in 2014, and it gave Washington $4 million in cap relief. After undergoing hip surgery in March, Cofield now says he’s healthy and he is expected to be ready to play in 4-6 weeks.

Dontari Poe’s workload has unsurprisingly worn on him through his two seasons as the leading snap-taker among interior defensive linemen in the NFL, but the Chiefs have not made aggressive moves to find his backup. Though the Chiefs may be hoping to grab a veteran from another team’s preseason cuts, through training camp the spotlight will be on these unknown quantities making a case for playing time in 2015. With even more urgency coming in light of the news of Poe’s injury, training camp will provide more time for these players to fight for the chance to fill a huge position of need – either behind or in place of Dontari Poe.