Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Dontari Poe is expected to command a “huge market” in free agency, per Tony Pauline.
Last year around this time, Dontari Poe was forced to accept a single-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. Despite leading the Kansas City Chiefs defensive line for a half decade, showing off an impressive blend of strength, skill and stamina, worries about potential back problems and a perceived drop in production brought only one-year offers.
One year later, Poe is ready to cash in.
Poe bet on himself for a single year in Atlanta and Tony Pauline says that he’s expecting a “huge market” for him in free agency, based on rumors he’s hearing from Indianapolis at the 2018 NFL Combine.
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Poe was a two-time Pro Bowler during his years with the Chiefs, showing off an elite-level stamina that allowed him to be an effective three-down lineman. He was stout against the run and showed an ability to get after the passer, but later in his tenure with the Chiefs, he deal with some back pain and missed his first games ever.
Last year with the Falcons, however, Poe showed his well-rounded skill set for the Falcons in all 16 starts for the regular season. He had 2.5 sacks, 2 passes defended and 39 total tackles, and he’s now going to enjoy a thin market for veteran defensive tackles (and a relatively weak draft at the position as well in terms of safe picks).
Could Poe return to the Chiefs? The team could certainly use his presence especially if Bennie Logan leaves after a single year on the team. However there are other teams with significantly more cap space with the same need as the Chiefs along the defensive front. He should definitely have an easier time cashing in this offseason with a likely multi-year deal on the way.