Rodney Hudson would be a perfect addition for K.C. Chiefs at center

The K.C. Chiefs are in need of a new starting center and a very exciting option just landed surprisingly landed on the open market, as the Las Vegas Raiders have released Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson, per NFL reporter Ian Rapoport.

Hudson is an obviously familiar face to Chiefs Kingdom given he was the team’s second round draft choice back in 2011 when Scott Pioli was the team’s general manager. Hudson played out his rookie contract with the Chiefs and then departed in free agency for a deal that made him the highest-paid center in football with the Raiders. The Chiefs then drafted Mitch Morse and moved on at the center position.

For the last six seasons, Hudson has been among the NFL’s best centers and has anchored a Raiders line that has always ranked among the NFL’s best. He’s a three-time Pro Bowl performer—2016, 2017, and 2019—but the Raiders are obviously committed to a complete overhaul of the line after also ridding themselves of Gabe Jackson and Richie Incognito up front.

Rodney Hudson would be a perfect addition for K.C. Chiefs.

For the Chiefs, the team has relied on Austin Reiter as their starting center for most of the last two seasons, save for a few games in which the team tried out Daniel Kilgore up front. However earlier this week, it was reported that the team was allowing Reiter to leave as an unrestricted free agent. The team has zero proven options on the current roster with Nick Allegretti serving as the best internal option in the middle unless the Chiefs signed Joe Thuney in order to move him.

Hudson’s return would not only be a major upgrade in the heart of the defense, but it would be an excellent full-circle moment to bring Hudson back to the team that drafted him in the first place. Unless the Chiefs have some good reason to avoid a reunion, it seems like the ideal move for general manager Brett Veach to bring him back again and help mentor a line that will likely feature plenty of younger players to mentor as well in the present and near future.