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.
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.
Conclusion
Charvarius Ward obviously isn’t a must-keep like Orlando Brown or other Chiefs free agents but it would be quite nice if the Chiefs got him back on a rather fair deal to really solidify the group along with a rookie draft pick or something like that.
The Chiefs have invested pennies into the cornerback group for a long time and as generous as I’ve been to Ward here, he was acquired for essentially nothing and he’s not what you would call a shutdown corner. The Chiefs really need one of those so they don’t have to rely on Patrick Mahomes hero ball all the time. Would they still get one if they brought Ward back? I’m not sure.
In conclusion, Ward is a homegrown talent who has put in some good snaps for the Chiefs over the years. I think he really likes it here in Kansas City and really likes the coaching staff. He has a clear and defined role and he was effective at it more times than not this season. What really stands between keeping him and letting him walk is his price tag. Would he stick around for a hometown discount? I say yes.
With the cap going up and the Chiefs having some money to spend, I think they can offer up a deal that gives him a nice raise and fends off other offers despite being a little less than what some other teams are willing to pay.
Prediction
The Chiefs sign Charvarius Ward to a three-year $24 million extension.