Chiefs rumors: John Dorsey will stay busy even without a free agent splash
By Matt Conner
Dontari Poe
The Chiefs have already said they would be interested in having Dontari Poe back at the right price. Instead of having to find a replacement nose tackle and wait for him to learn Bob Sutton’s schemes, it would be much easier if they could plug their anchor back in the middle and continue to move forward. But again, the price would have to be right.
A line of Chris Jones, Jaye Howard, Allen Bailey and Rakeem Nunez-Roches is already a talented line, and Dorsey will undoubtedly add another name to the list. Perhaps a young face like Montori Hughes, recently signed to a reserve/futures deal, or David King can step up and provide a new rotational linemen from among the young prospect stashed on the roster. A new name will surface at some point, via draft or free agency or internally, and that man will find some meaningful snaps. If that man was Poe, it would be the easiest transition possible and would bolster the Chiefs line now that Bailey and Howard would be healthy around him.
That said, the Chiefs are already strapped for cash and have to worry about the draft class and restricted free agents. Poe’s price would have to drop significantly, but are the Chiefs the best place to show off Poe’s full skill set. Poe is rumored to be considering a one-year deal but he also wants to show off his pass rushing skills with that new team. That signals the Chiefs aren’t really in the mix to sign Poe to a short-term deal.
The Chiefs will sometimes only play with two down linemen, so it might be easy to assume they already have their players in house, but Poe was the beef in the middle and no one on the roster is within 40 pounds of him. Jones weighs 308 pounds. Howard sits at 301, and Bailey lands at 288. Poe ate up the middle for a reason, and Dorsey will likely look for someone else who can plug with the same size.