KC Chiefs free agent profile: Charvarius Ward deserves a nice raise
By Josh Fann
Why Keep Him?
Ward is a decent NFL cornerback. Those don’t grow on trees. A lot of us have been harsh on Ward throughout his time here but he’s clearly grown as a player. He’s still only 25 and would still be part of whatever youth movement the Chiefs would like to do on defense.
I believe a lot of the frustration for Ward comes from the fact he is asked to sometimes do more than what he’s capable of. Realistically, Ward is a No. 2 or even a No. 3 corner but he is asked to shadow some of the league’s elite receivers despite not having elite traits and he is built to be man up and press but when you go zone-heavy with Ward in the line up there’s a good chance he’ll have a mental lapse or get picked on by some offenses.
Sure, Ward will give up some big plays here and there, but he is still a good cornerback to have in your rotation and the familiarity is already there. As long as he’s used to the best of his ability, he can be pretty good and the Chiefs need more corners with his height—not less of them. He also might have a higher ceiling than most thought he would when he first arrived. The reasoning for keeping him is quite clear.
Why Let Him Walk?
I wouldn’t argue with anyone who says they would like to upgrade at cornerback and while Ward is good for what he is he certainly isn’t irreplaceable.
Ward may have very well priced himself out of Kansas City which might be surprising for some to hear, but teams are always desperate for decent corners and will even overpay for them. If things become a bidding war, the Chiefs are better to step away and go for a cheap veteran or address things in the draft. They will have plenty of money to work with this offseason but that doesn’t mean they should sink a bunch of it into a rotational cornerback when they will have to spend big resources on positions like defensive end and maybe even another high-end type of corner.
To sum it up rather quickly, Ward is a good corner but he isn’t a great corner and maybe they have something different in mind. Maybe he gets too pricey. That would be the reason he walks. We will just have to see.