Ten players who could help the Kansas City Chiefs defense in 2019

Earl Thomas, Safety, Seattle Seahawks

The Chiefs were connected to Earl Thomas near the trade deadline before Thomas suffered a season-ending injury. While Earl Thomas is no spring chicken, he brings a skill set that the Chiefs defense has sorely lacked: centerfield, single high safety who can make plays in the passing game.

There will likely be plenty of teams interested in Thomas, but I have to think that Thomas will be interested in playing alongside Eric Berry and joining a Chiefs team that should be in a position to contend immediately. Thomas could add to his hall of fame resume with another Superbowl ring, and Kansas City may be the best opportunity for him to achieve that.

Pairing Thomas and Berry would instantly shore up the safety position and provide valuable support in the secondary especially as some of the Chiefs younger defenders develop in pass coverage.

Thomas will not be cheap, but the Chiefs have more cap space this offseason than they have in the past few years. This would also signal the possibility of the Chiefs moving on from Daniel Sorenson, whose release should free up some cap space as well. Brett Veach has shown to be a savvy negotiator and should be able to meet Thomas’ financial demands.

There are other safeties who may be available in free agency, younger players like Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix and Landon Collins, but they’re both likely to be handed the franchise tag by their respective teams.