K.C. Chiefs: Identifying the best remaining free agents on the market
Offensive Line
This section should probably have just been labeled “Left Tackles” because I simply couldn’t find any centers to get excited about. I’m in favor of bringing back Austin Reiter at this point, but I just couldn’t put him on a list of players that would clearly upgrade the Chiefs roster. Would I feel better about Reiter starting than say Nick Allegretti sliding over to center? Yes, but I can’t promise Allegretti wouldn’t be as good or better. However, the Chiefs don’t currently have a good starting option at left tackle, so the following players would definitely upgrade the roster.
Russell Okung is basically the Sammy Watkins of left tackles. He’s a really good talent who produces good results when he’s on the field, but hasn’t been on the field nearly enough the past couple of seasons. Okung has only been able to start 13 games over the past two seasons. At this point, I’m probably doing more to scare Chiefs fans away than selling them on signing him, however, he is definitely the most talented left tackle left on the market.
The other thing is that, at this point, the Chiefs are looking for a stop gap at left tackle while they develop a long term solution at the position. When Trent Williams re-signed with San Francisco, it meant that the Chiefs were going to need to look to the draft for their answer at left tackle. So the Chiefs don’t need to rely on Okung staying healthy for the long term. They need a veteran to hold down the fort while they get a rookie ready to play.
Okung’s injury history and the depressed free agent market this offseason should make Okung cheap enough to sign that he would be well worth the risk. When healthy, he is definitely the free agent Chiefs fans should want protecting Patrick Mahomes blind side when the season kicks off.
Alejandro Villanueva is basically the exact opposite of Russell Okung. He’s been very reliable, starting every game for Pittsburgh over the past five seasons. However, he simply isn’t quite as good at pass protecting as Okung is. So the question for Chiefs fans is what is more valuable? Would you rather have Okung’s upside or Villanueva’s reliability? I don’t know that there is a wrong answer here, but I do think these two are the clear top options left on the board. There are some solid right tackle options available, but the Chiefs really need someone that has proven they can handle playing left tackle.
Given Villanueva’s reliability, he may be more likely to demand a longer term and more substantial contract. If that’s the case, the Chiefs may not want to commit to that if they are thinking they want a stop gap that is just biding them time to get a rookie ready to take over. However, if Villanueva can’t find a long term deal it would be hard to say no to protecting Mahomes if you have to take a one-year deal.
Fall Back Option: Jason Peters
If the Chiefs miss out on or simply don’t like either Okung or Villanueva, they could take a shot on Jason Peters. The former All Pro left tackle has a history with Andy Reid and if the Chiefs think the 39 year old has one more season in him it could be the perfect match. Peters gets to chase a ring and the Chiefs get a vet to mentor a rookie draft pick.
Next up, let’s talk pass rushers.