Free agent linebacker options are fleeting for the KC Chiefs

If they are interested in adding a linebacker who can cover in free agency, the Kansas City Chiefs are running low on options.

Last week, NFL reporter Adam Caplan posted on Twitter that he had a source with the Kansas City Chiefs stating the team held an interest in adding a coverage linebacker in free agency. One week later, the team has yet to make a move at the position and their options are quickly fading.

Given the lack of financial flexibility on the part of the Chiefs, no one expected general manager to go shopping in the frenzied first week, when big bucks are spent and new monetary thresholds are set for each position. However, if the Chiefs are going to sign someone then they should make a list long enough to know that maybe even the first several choices are going to be gone by the time they make a move.

Last week, we profiled a handful of linebackers who would likely fit the mold for the Chiefs—whose financial ask and schematic fit made sense. From that very group, a couple have already been signed away. The Los Angeles Chargers signed Nick Vigil away from the Cincinnati Bengals on a one-year deal on Tuesday, and the Bengals struck quickly to find a replacement in former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Josh Bynes.

At this point, former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham is the best bet remaining on the open market, although it’s also possible to procure someone via trade or hope that another veteran breaks loose in the preseason. The NFL offseason is long and there’s never a need for any team to panic in late March, especially one that just lifted the Lombardi Trophy less than two months prior.

Still if the Chiefs want to secure a linebacker who won’t embarrass himself on obvious passing downs, the current selection is dwindling a bit faster than anticipated.