The K.C. Chiefs have added yet another free agent in the wake of the 2021 NFL Draft, this time with the signing of linebacker Kamalei Correa. Correa is the third free agent to join the Chiefs in the last 24 hours with the addition of safety Will Parks and wide receiver Chris Finke.
The Chiefs are the fourth team for Correa in his NFL career so far after originally being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens, for whom he played two seasons. From there, he was flipped to the Tennessee Titans for a sixth round pic, and he played there for another two seasons. He re-signed in Tennessee for another year, but was injured early in the 2020 season and lost his position in the process. After demanding a trade, he was dealt to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a trade of late-round draft picks.
Correa comes to the Chiefs with something to prove as a still young (27-years-old) defender with pass rushing potential who has never found his long-term footing in the league. He failed to register a single sack in two seasons with the Ravens but had 8.5 over two seasonswith greater playing time as a rotational pass rusher and occasional starter.
Kamalei Correa gives the Chiefs greater versatility and competition in the front seven.
It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs plan on utilizing Correa in the defense, as he’s a likely fit as a strongside linebacker (SAM), but he also might be a slight candidate to line up outside on the edge as a pass rusher. He certainly has the burst and speed to be a threat lined out wide. WIth the addition of Nick Bolton via the draft, the Chiefs have continued to bolster the competition at linebacker this offseason to give Chiefs coaches some intriguing options in training camp.
Correa has one 19 starts across five NFL seasons, but he comes with 63 games of experience. He has 8.5 career sacks, 5 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles in his career.