KC Chiefs free agent profile: Charvarius Ward deserves a nice raise

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) rises to catch a pass as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward (35) defends in the fourth quarter during a Week 17 NFL game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 34-31. With the win the, the Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC North division and advance to the NFL playoffs.Kansas City Chiefs At Cincinnati Bengals Jan 2
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) rises to catch a pass as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward (35) defends in the fourth quarter during a Week 17 NFL game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 34-31. With the win the, the Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC North division and advance to the NFL playoffs.Kansas City Chiefs At Cincinnati Bengals Jan 2 /
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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (1) is unable to catch a pass in the end zone as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward (35) defends in the first quarter during the AFC championship NFL football game.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (1) is unable to catch a pass in the end zone as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward (35) defends in the first quarter during the AFC championship NFL football game. /

Continuing on the list of impending Kansas City Chiefs free agents and where they stand heading into free agency, we have cornerback Charvarius Ward. Ward just finished up his fourth NFL season after being acquired by the Chiefs in a trade as an undrafted free agent.

So far in his career, Ward has racked up 222 total tackles, 29 PBUs, and 4 interceptions. He’s been an up and down player since coming into the league. His highs can get really high (e.g. every time he goes up against Stefon Diggs), and his lows can be quite low (e.g. the 2020 Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders).

Will Charvarius Ward be with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022?

That said, Ward had maybe his best season yet in 2021 and seemed to put together long stretches of good football more consistently than seasons past. After returning in 2021 with the Chiefs as a restricted free agent, Ward now becomes a true free agent with lots of potential suitors.

The Chiefs have a lot of needs this offseason including cornerback as L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton will be the only two under contract heading into the new league year and on the surface, keeping Ward around makes a lot of sense.

The Chiefs will likely have a lot of turnover on the defensive side of the ball this offseason and with the complications that come with a Steve Spagnuolo run defense, having as many guys around as possible that know the system also seems ideal.

There are differing opinions across the board for Charvarius Ward, though. Just like every player on the team, not everyone is a fan. So, let’s go ahead and look at an argument to both keep him around and let him go.