Kansas City Chiefs: 5 free agent targets for the defense

Trent Murphy – Outside Linebacker – Washington

I actually like Trent Murphy more as a long term option for Kansas City than I do Junior Galette. Unfortunately, I think the rest of the league may feel the same way, so his price tag may be higher than Galette’s. The one thing that may keep Murphy’s price tag down is that he was out all of last season with a knee injury. That makes him a risk and whichever team signs him will obviously have to feel good about his medical status.

Assuming that Murphy is healthy he would be a HUGE upgrade for the Chiefs. He had nine sacks in 2016 (his last season) but is not just a pass rusher. At 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds he is a complete edge player. He is good against the run and when the Chiefs go to the sub package and essentially turn their OLBs into defensive ends, Murphy has the size to better hold up against offensive tackles. The Chiefs have been descent against the run in their base defense but have been AWFUL against it in their sub package. Having a player like Murphy that could give you pressure opposite Houston AND not be a liability in the run game would be huge.

If Murphy is healthy the Chiefs certainly wouldn’t be the only team competing for his services (Washington probably doesn’t want to let both he and Galette leave town), but he is a player that I would be okay with Kansas City investing some money in.

Now let’s look at some possible big bodies in the center of the defense.