The Kansas City Chiefs have some room to work under the cap once the offseason officially kicks off in March. The issue becomes how much money they have after signing some of their big name free agents like Eric Berry, Derrick Johnson or Sean Smith. They will need to pick up a serviceable man or two to plug gaps and provide depth.
I have put together a list of 10 free agents at needy positions for Kansas City and have ranked them in order of likelihood that they would sign for a lower end contract. Some of these players have been great before but slipped up due to injury or a bad season in 2015. Others may just need the right fit to spark a mediocre career.
10. Courtney Upshaw – The Baltimore Ravens’ outside linebacker has been a solid run defender for his entire career but his pass rush ability might scare some teams away. Tamba Hali has stated many times that he wants to stay a Chief but if the right teams comes calling with a bigger check then that might be it for him in KC. Dee Ford has shown pass rushing ability but he cannot stop the run. Upshaw may not come as cheap though so he’ll stay at number ten.
9. Chris Clark – This former Bronco and Texan will be looking for a starting gig and there are plenty at offensive tackle across the NFL. While the likelihood of him starting for the Chiefs is low he can be a fairly good plug-and-play guy to replace any injured starters at both tackle positions.
8. Anquan Boldin – The chances of Boldin getting out of San Francisco are pretty high considering Chip Kelly may want to go younger at the position. The Chiefs would look to upgrade their veteran leadership from Jason Avant to a much more threatening wide receiver. Boldin may not be as willing to take a pay cut however.
7. James Ihedigbo – The Chiefs could lose three safeties before the draft this year and there is not much to be had in rounds 1-7 but there is plenty in free agency. Should Kansas City lose 2 of 3 then Ihedigbo could be a solid replacement for Branch or Berry. He doesn’t have the ball hawking skills that the current staff of Kansas City holds but he can make good decisions in the open field and make the hits necessary to keep offenses off the field.
6. Brandon Brooks – Another former Houston offensive lineman, Brooks is a lot younger than Clark and he has a higher upside. Most analysts think that the Chiefs will not be able to re-sign Jeff Allen so a replacement at guard must be found to play alongside Zach Fulton.
Next: Free agents 5-1