A defensive wish list for the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency

Ronald Darby

A cornerback that would be nice for the Chiefs is Ronald Darby. Darby is coming off of a torn ACL that ended his last season with the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s been in the league a total of four years, spending half of his time with the Buffalo Bills and the other half with the Eagles.

Over his four year career, he’s been an excellent defensive back. He has six interceptions and 214 tackles over his career, and should bounce back well after his injury.

A problem with Darby is his contract. He has an estimated market value of $10.8 million by Spotrac, but could easily get a deal closer to $12-13 million. Especially with the high demand for cornerbacks. Darby is only 25-years-old, and if the Chiefs are going to spend a lot of money on a cornerback, Darby would be an excellent option.

Bashaud Breeland

Another cornerback that would a worthwhile investment would be Bashaud Breeland. Breeland was signed by the Green Bay Packers early in the season last year after it looked like the Chiefs might sign him over the summer. The Packers ultimately signed him for under $1 million, which turned out to be a huge steal.

Breeland ended up starting five games last year for the Packers and notched 2 interceptions and 20 tackles. Over his five year career, he’s started 63 of 67 games he’s played in and earned himself 10 interceptions and 288 tackles. He’s a guy who will contribute to the secondary and claims that next year he will have the “biggest comeback of 2019.”

Spotrac has set his market value at $6.9 million, but it’s likely he earns closer to $8-9 million. While the Packers are likely to resign him, the Chiefs should attempt to get their foot in the door. If they’re able to sign Breeland, they would be adding a very talented player to the secondary.

Steven Nelson

Instead of looking to add a new cornerback in free agency, the Chiefs could also look at bringing one back. Steven Nelson quietly had a strong season for the Chiefs last year that deserves way more credit than he got. He was the Chiefs’ best cornerback by far, and seems to only be getting better.

His estimated market value is $10.3 million according to Spotrac, and he will likely get this money from some team. He’s played all four years of his NFL career with the Chiefs and is coming off his best season where he started all 16 games. Over this last season, he had four interceptions and 68 tackles.

Considering he was targeted more than any other cornerback in the NFL last year, Nelson put up a very good year. Nelson is going to get paid next year, and he deserves it. If the Chiefs are willing to break the bank open for a cornerback, resigning Steven Nelson would be a great way to spend the money.