Chiefs rumors: Ahmad Brooks presents intriguing linebacker option
By Matt Conner
The San Francisco 49ers released pass rushing linebacker Ahmad Brooks, which means some team is going to enjoy a nice veteran addition.
The Kansas City Chiefs pass rush was practically non-existent on Friday, when the team lost to the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field in a poor showing in almost every facet of the game. It doesn’t help, of course, when your top pass rushers aren’t even on the field. Justin Houston fell ill, Tamba Hali remains on the Physically Unable to Play list, and Tanoh Kpassagnon was also sick. Even still, Russell Wilson could basically do whatever he wanted against the Chiefs through the air.
#49ers have officially released LB Ahmad Brooks, who ranks third in franchise history in sacks (51.5).
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) August 25, 2017
If the Chiefs are interested in tinkering with the outside linebacker section of the roster, there’s a new entry on the waiver wire that could prove interesting: Ahmad Brooks. The San Francisco 49ers made the difficult decision to release Brooks after a decade with the team. He is third on the Niners’ all-time sack list and even last season, at the age of 32, Brooks had 6 sacks and 1 forced fumble.
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The Niners were facing a cap hit of over $6 million for Brooks heading into this season and such a young team decided to move on, especially since there were younger, cheaper options available for head coach Kyle Shanahan moving forward. Cutting such respectable veterans is a difficult part of the job, but it’s a common occurrence when new leadership takes over a roster.
Kyle Shanahan believes Brooks will still be a positive contributor in the NFL, but the 49ers felt it was time to move on.
"“Ahmad can still do things,” said Shanahan to the media. “I think everyone knows that. He’s going to help somebody this year.”"
Brooks could fit nicely on the edge as another veteran pass rushing option if the Chiefs felt like Hali was going to have a hard time staying healthy or perhaps wanted to replace a Frank Zombo. Dee Ford and Houston are obviously not going anywhere, but if Brooks wanted to join a winning club as a rotational pass rusher on the cheap, the Chiefs could be a nice place—especially as the team looks to improve on their finish at No. 28 overall in the NFL in total sacks from last year.