Brett Veach’s early acquisitions for the Chiefs worked out well

The first season of Brett Veach being the general manager is on the books and there are some positive outlooks.

The Kansas City Chiefs promoted Brett Veach to general manager in July of 2017. When he took over the job after John Dorsey left the Chiefs, all of the offseason work was primarily done. The draft and free agency period were both finished and fading in the rearview mirror, and all that was left was training camp.

That didn’t stop Veach from going out and making a few trades before the season started. He traded for two inside linebackers, Reggie Ragland and Kevin Pierre-Louis along with offensive guard Cameron Erving. A few weeks later, he grabbed a rookie kicker off of another team’s practice squad to replace a steady but injured veteran.

How did Veach’s first group of guys do in their first season as Chiefs? Let’s take a look.

Harrison Butker

This was a signing that really stumped Chiefs Kingdom—not just because they didn’t know who Harrison Butker was, but it also meant the release of kicker Cairo Santos. When Santos was put on injured reserve and then released, many were confused. He had been a very good kicker for Kansas City since 2013.

Veach liked Butker coming out of college and had his eyes on him already. He brought him up from the Carolina Panthers practice squad and the rookie got his first start against the Washington Redskins. Like rookie running back Kareem Hunt who fumbled on his first carry, Butker missed his first ever NFL field goal.

The missed field goal was a long lost memory as the young kicker went on to kick the game-winning field goal that night. Butker finished the season making 38 of 42 field goal attempts. Finishing the season tied for second most field goals only behind San Fransico 49ers kicker Robbie Gould by one. Highly impressive when you consider he missed the first three games.

Reggie Ragland

One of the first things that Brett Veach did as general manager was trade a future fourth-round draft pick for inside linebacker Reggie Ragland. The Buffalo Bills had just moved to a 4-3 defense and with the talent they had, Ragland proved expendable. The 2016 second round pick had yet to play a real NFL snap since he tore his ACL before the 2016 season started.

Plenty of questions surfaced regarding Ragland’s injury but Veach made it clear they were going to be patient with it. Fans were ecstatic to hear that a player they wanted the Chiefs to draft the year before was coming to Kansas City for a mid-round pick in 2019. 

The former Alabama linebacker won SEC defensive player of the year in 2015 along with winning the national title that year. His downhill, hard-hitting style of play is something that the Chiefs have long needed next to linebacker Derrick Johnson. It’s that kind of attitude that this defense desperately needs as well, especially with safety Eric Berry out all year.

Getting his first action in Week 4 against the Washington Redskins, Ragland looked a bit hesitant and not used to the speed of the NFL yet. He started to look a bit faster to respond as the weeks went on. His real showing was after the bye week when Ragland recorded 8 tackles in back to back games.

The game against his former team the Buffalo Bills was the best game he had all season in my opinion. Anytime the ball was given the running back LeSean McCoy, Ragland was there to meet him with a punishing hit. There were multiple times that Ragland and outside linebacker Justin Houston worked together to trap McCoy in the backfield. 

Ragland’s strength and vision proved very impressive multiple times when offensive linemen made their way to the second level. He was able to show the strength of not being pushed out of the play when blockers get their hands on him. Something that has been seriously lacking the last couple years at the linebacker position.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Ragland will be a piece that the Chiefs build around in the coming years. The former second-round pick will see an increased snap count next year which means more opportunities to shine. Ragland only saw the field 29.25% of the defensive snaps in 2017 but made the most of them with 44 tackles in 12 games.

Kevin Pierre-Louis

Brett Veach also pulled off the very rare player-for-player trade before the season began in a swap of back-up linebackers with the Seattle Seahawks. The Chiefs sent inside linebacker and special teams Pro Bowler D.J Alexander in return for Kevin Pierre-Louis (KPL). With the talent, the Seahawks already owned at the position and his inability to demand snaps, Pierre-Louis found his way to Kansas City as Seattle added a slightly younger and more affordable player.

It turns out that Pierre-Louis was perfect for what the Chiefs needed. He could play special teams and make big plays there like Alexander did while also contributing to the defense. His athletic speed from sideline to sideline made him a probable replacement for Derrick Johnson. The linebacker improved over the season in coverage as well finding himself one on one with tight ends and running backs.

The Chiefs will have to sign KPL this offseason since his rookie deal is up after 2017. They shouldn’t have a hard time doing so considering KPL hasn’t been a star contributor. Expect him to be signed for a team-friendly deal as they look to replace Johnson at the position.

Cameron Erving

Another interesting preseason trade from Brett Veach was his decision to acquire offensive lineman Cameron Erving. The former Cleveland Browns first-round draft pick had practically been run out of town after troubling play when put at center. The Chiefs brought him back to a guard position and he contributed in four games in 2017.

Most likely, Erving will be a project with little risk as the Chiefs gave up a fifth-round pick for him. He tends to fit the Chiefs overall scheme of zone run blocking. With Zach Fulton most likely leaving this offseason for a starting job elsewhere, Kansas City needed to find a replacement they hope can be a similar position and easy plugin on multiple parts of the line.

What can Veach do with a full offseason

It’s no secret that Veach was a big part of the scouting for the Chiefs before being promoted to general manager. It’s been told that he was a guy pushing big for rookie quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He made some good moves with the little amount of time he had and now we can see what he does with the offseason.

The Chiefs only have four draft picks in this year’s draft but could come across some if they decide to trade away some players. With some likely cuts to the roster, the team could be looking for a good increase in their salary cap situation as well. All in all, it could be an interesting offseason to see what Veach will muster up.