NFL free agency: Sen’Derrick Marks could help Chiefs replace Dontari Poe
By Matt Conner
The Jacksonville Jaguars are trying to trade Sen’Derrick Marks and could eventually release the DT. Could he help replace Dontari Poe along the line for the Chiefs?
Dontari Poe is going to hit the free agent market in a matter of days. That means the Kansas City Chiefs are going to be looking for a nose tackle along the defensive line at the same time. While the line retains plenty of talent in Poe’s absence, the reality is that each player profiles best as a defensive end. That means the Chiefs are likely to look outside the roster for the some help in the middle.
Enter Sen’Derrick Marks. The Jacksonville Jaguars are said to be shopping Marks on the trading block around the NFL. If there aren’t any takers, the 300 lb. lineman becomes a free agent, meaning the Chiefs might be in the running for a guy who is likely a bit too expensive at this point. The question is whether Marks would fit and if he’d even be interested in playing for the Chiefs
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Marks is only two years removed from being voted No. 76 on the NFL’s Top 100 Players list of 2015. Unfortunately since that time, he’s torn his ACL in the final game of the 2014 season and missed the bulk of the 2015 season, making only two starts. Last year, however, he started to flash the natural ability to plug the middle and even help collapse the pocket in the Jaguars flexible 4-3 system as a defensive tackle. He played in every single game and earned 3.5 sacks to go with 22 total tackles in rotational duty for Jacksonville.
Marks is a proud veteran and wasn’t happy at all to be replaced by draft pick Sheldon Day and free agent Malik Jackson, but the Jaguars had money to spend and they did just that. Now Marks is on the outside looking in, a free agent defensive tackle who just turned 30-years-old whose prime is behind him. But that doesn’t mean there’s no value here.
On the contrary, Marks was rounding into form for the Jags before his ACL injury with 8.5 sacks from the middle, a big body who can penetrate and disrupt an offensive play before it even gets going. At 6’1″, 300 lbs., Marks has the size the Chiefs to help plug the middle and the experience to step right in. It would be a bit of an adjustment to the Chiefs’ scheme, of course, but Marks has been down this road with the changes and versatile schemes implemented by Gus Bradley.
The question is whether or not the money is right and not so much about the fit. Marks still has some good football left in him, which means he’s likely going to want to cash in on one more bigger pay day before he retires, but if there’s a chance to grab a guy like Marks on a one-year deal or a cheaper veteran’s deal for someone looking to win, there could be a play here for John Dorsey.
With so few nose tackle options available for the Chiefs in the upcoming draft, free agency is the only other way the Chiefs will plug this hole. If Poe finds the money we expect him to land, then the Chiefs will have to turn the corner with someone else. Marks could be an intriguing player for the defensive line.