Kansas City Chiefs 2021 free agent tracker
By Matt Conner
Daniel Kilgore – Unsigned
The Chiefs added Kilgore late in the preseason to press other interior options for playing time and see how the competition would play out. Kilgore ended up earning a short midseason audition as the Chiefs’ starting center and the run game responded well. However, Austin Reiter (see below) reclaimed the role and Kilgore was relegated to backup status. Expect the Chiefs to move on.
Ben Niemann – Re-signed on 1-year deal
The Chiefs needed to make a quick decision, like every team in the NFL, on their restricted free agents and we were a bit surprised to see the team bring back Ben Niemann so quickly instead of letting the offseason play out first. They clearly think highly of Niemann, who made a career high five starts last season, enough to bring him back for one more year.
Alex Okafor – Unsigned
It’s going to be interesting to see if any team is willing to give Okafor a respectable deal in free agency given his injury concerns. Last season a hamstring injury hung around and required separate stints of multiple missed games. The year before, it was a pectoral injury that ended his season prematurely. In his short tenure with the Chiefs, he went from starting end to rotational body and it might be the end for Okafor, although he offers a nice predictable floor for a team when healthy.
Kelechi Osemele – Unsigned
It didn’t take long (four games, actually) for Chiefs Kingdom to fall in love with Kelechi Osemele in 2020 as an overwhelming mauler at left guard. That sort of power dynamic has been missing in the team’s offensive front for some time, so fans took to it very quickly. Unfortunately an aging player with torn tendons in both knees is a tough sell and the Chiefs have clearly moved on after signing two new guards in Kyle Long and Joe Thuney.