Kansas City Chiefs Free Agency: Where do we stand now?

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Nov 15, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith (21) intercepts a pass thrown by Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) during the first half at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

The ones that got away….

While the Chiefs have made several key signings they have also lost some players in free agency. The most notable being cornerback Sean Smith, safety Tyvon Branch, guard Jeff Allen, and tackle Donald Stephenson. Those are four players that had significant playing time for the Chiefs last season. Here’s where I stand on these four players that will be with other teams next season.

Sean Smith

Of all the players that the Chiefs will miss on the field in 2016, Sean Smith will be at the top of the list. While rookie Marcus Peters got a lot of the headlines and splashy big plays it was Smith who was KC’s most reliable cornerback. The Chiefs defensive system is predicated on having corners that can shut down the outside receivers in single man coverage. The Chiefs are going to sorely miss having Smith out there next season. That having been said, I think letting Smith go was the right move. While they’ll miss him next season I believe that in a couple of years they’ll be glad they aren’t the ones paying his big salary. Smith is a large corner with just average speed that will be in his 30s for the second half of this contract. If he loses a step he could quickly become a liability in coverage against faster wideouts. The fact that Smith has shown some “knucklehead” tendencies at times doesn’t make me confident that he will do whatever it takes to stay in peak physical condition. He could certainly prove me wrong and he will be hard to replace, but I’m okay with the Chiefs letting Smith walk.

Tyvon Branch

The Chiefs weren’t likely to bring Eric Berry, Tyvon Branch, and Husain Abdullah all back, especially just one year after giving Ron Parker a big time contract. So you had to know that after they franchise tagged Berry that Branch could end up elsewhere in 2016. While the Chiefs could have definitely used Branch with the number of three safety sets they use they simply couldn’t afford to get into a bidding war for his services. If Husain Abdullah isn’t brought back (either because another team outbids them or because of concerns over the concussion that ended his season) the Chiefs will be in need of adding another safety and could eventually regret letting Branch get away.

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