K.C. Chiefs: Identifying the best remaining free agents on the market
Cornerbacks
*Author’s Note: Since the time of writing this it has been reported that the Chiefs are hosting K’Waun Williams for a visit. I was targeting starting outside corners for this list, but if the Chiefs feel set there with Sneed and Ward, Williams would make a fantastic addition in the slot.
While most NFL fans are focused on former Tennessee Titan free agent cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, he’s not my favorite Titan free agent for the Chiefs to target. Don’t get me wrong, I’d be thrilled if Jackson’s medicals checked out and the Chiefs feel like he’s worth the financial investment, but I think his teammate Malcolm Butler makes a lot of sense for the Chiefs. While he’s 31 years old, he still played really well last season. In fact, he was PFF’s 15th rated cornerback in 2020 and had a higher coverage grade than any cornerback on the Chiefs roster.
Butler is a proven winner who has been a consistently good cornerback for years. He would be another great veteran presence to help mentor guys like L’Jarius Sneed, Rashad Fenton and even Charvarius Ward who has been a little up and down over the last couple of seasons. While a guy like Bashaud Breeland has given the Chiefs some solid play over the last couple of seasons, a guy like Butler would be a much more stable leader to add to Tyrann Mathieu in the Chiefs secondary. If his age and the down free agent market make him affordable, the Chiefs would be smart to scoop him up.
Okay, okay, I just got done saying I think it might be smart to target Malcolm Butler over Jackson because of his smaller price tag and veteran influence, but Jackson is still a big enough talent to warrant being on this list. His injury issues last season still remain a bit of a mystery, so the Chiefs would have to feel confident that he is healthy. If they do, there isn’t a more talented young cornerback available in free agency. Still, if the Titans were confident that he would be healthy this season, it seems like they might have done more to try to keep him around.
Jackson has been one of the highest graded outside corners when healthy over the last few seasons, and there will certainly be a market for him. In fact, there are reports as I’m writing this that the New York Giants are making a hard push to sign him. So it’s possible that by the time you’re reading this he is already off the market. If that’s the case, hopefully Butler is still available.
Fall Back Option: Bashaud Breeland
As I mentioned already, the Chiefs have gotten some solid production over the past two seasons out of Breeland. If they feel like they want to make Sneed, Ward, and Fenton their top three corners this season but still want to have a proven veteran on the roster, bringing back Breeland could be a solid option.
Finally, let’s look at a couple of safety options.