How the Chiefs could possibly replace Dontari Poe

The Chiefs’ decision about Dontari Poe will affect the rest of their free agency and draft plans.

On Wednesday, the NFL hit the first day they were able to place the franchise tag on a pending free agent. The marquee names being mentioned as possibilities for the Chiefs tag are Eric Berry and Dontari Poe. Last week, John Dorsey make comments regarding the negotiations for Eric Berry’s possible new contract. Berry’s representatives then countered through social media saying there were communications but they were not positive.

Lost in that story is the relative silence on the front of a new contract for Dontari Poe. Dorsey did echo his comments on Berry, saying the Poe talks were “progressing”. That may be foreshadowing as to the Chiefs plan for this offseason. If the team is prioritizing signing Berry to a cap-friendly deal, it would signal that Poe may be an option for the franchise tag.

Overall, It would be a difficult balance for the cap to sign or tag both players. Difficult, but not impossible. The tag number for defensive tackles will likely come in between $13M and $14M. That is little or no savings over the tag value that Berry would receive if the franchise tag were given to him for the second year running. Getting both deals done would likely cripple the team in terms of the cap unless other players’ contracts were restructured.

On Wednesday, it was also reported the Chiefs will skip the option on Nick Foles and allow him to be released. The rub is that what had been reported as a $10.75M dollar cap savings is now reduced to $6.75M, per Terez Paylor of the KC Star. That change may ultimately be the roadblock that keeps the team from securing both Berry and Poe.

If Dontari Poe is allowed to leave and sign elsewhere as a free agent the Chiefs will need to find a replacement that can play as a true nose tackle. We spoke about this with Seth Keysor on the Locked on Chiefs podcast today. Here’s the show.

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How to replace a Pro Bowl nose tackle like Poe?

Dontari Poe’s success in the NFL has come because of his unique combination of size and athleticism. At 346+ pounds, his skill-set is rare. On the Chiefs current roster, there is no one player that is capable of holding down the two-gap nose tackle base position the Chiefs use.

The best option currently on the roster would be Jaye Howard moving into the middle. Chris Jones is best out at the 3- and 5- techniques. Howard has solid size but does not command double-teams. His best attribute is still splitting double teams and penetrating the backfield. He could fill in for Poe in the interim but would not be a long-term replacement at nose tackle.

Related Story: Ranking each position on Chiefs Roster

Looking at the draft class along the defensive line, there a number of standout players. Unfortunately, the vast majority are 3- and 5-techniques. Some draft analysts feel Caleb Brantley and Jaleel Johnson could function at the nose but from what I’ve seen that’s a long shot.

One player, however, stands out as one that can plug and play into the Kansas City defensive scheme. University of Washington’s Elijah Qualls has the skills to do the things the Chiefs need. He’s a strong and heavy, although a touch undersized, fireplug of a defensive tackle.

Qualls can line up at the nose and take on double-teams. He can shade and split the gaps. The similarities with Poe don’t stop there. The Huskies run their base defense about as often as the Chiefs do. They like to shift to a big nickel concept where Qualls moves outside to a three technique. The role is nearly identical to Poe’s in Kansas City.

Qualls uniquely qualified to fit into the KC defense. His athleticism and power can be used up and down the line. When asked he was even able to move out to the edge. In 2016, he was asked to do that more often than you would ever expect from a 320-pound nose tackle.

The end of the day, Qualls is underdeveloped and not as polished as Poe was coming out of college. He has a few of the concerning qualities we saw pre-draft in Chris Jones as well. At times his pad level is too high and his motor doesn’t always rev at 100%. On film, he does take plays off. Coaching can correct all of his flaws and his athleticism is rare for a man his size. (Sounds a lot like what we were saying in 2012 when Poe was drafted.)

Right now, Qualls is thought to be a second-day prospect. If he has a combine performance that rivals Dontari Poe’s, his stock will surely rise. As it is, he may be the Chiefs best bet in this draft to replace Poe with a similar player.

What do you think about Poe, Addict?   What about Elijah Qualls?