Former Chiefs defensive lineman Allen Bailey to visit Patriots

Defensive lineman Allen Bailey will take his first known free agent visit of the spring with a trip to the Super Bowl champions, New England Patriots.

Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Allen Bailey will take his first known free agent visit of the offseason on Thursday. Per Pro Football Talk, Bailey will spend time with the New England Patriots.

Bailey put up a strong season last year for the Chiefs, one that largely flew under the radar despite his career high of 6 sacks. It helped his stats to be surrounded by Chris Jones, Justin Houston, and Dee Ford, but it also created a shadow that overwhelmed his own statistical output. It also didn’t help that the Chiefs defense largely only earned negative talking points, of which he simply wasn’t a part.

Bailey is hitting free agency for the first time after spending the last eight seasons in Kansas City. Perhaps that’s a testament to how consistent and solid he’s been on the field that he rolled right into a second four-year contract with the Chiefs and played it out completely.

The Chiefs have decided to get younger across the defense in the last two years, as they’ve watched players like Derrick Johnson, Dee Ford, Justin Houston, Eric Berry and more leave via trade or release. Bailey will be another name on that long list as the Chiefs now turn to the draft to help round out the front line as they also hope Tanoh Kpassagnon and Breeland Speaks can step up into starting roles.

Last year, Bailey had 13 starts for the Chiefs but played in all 16 games. He had 34 total tackles, 10 quarterback hits, 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 4 fumble recoveries.