KC Chiefs: Marcus Williams could be safety option if Tyrann Mathieu walks

This year’s free agent safety pool will contain some very big names including the K.C. Chiefs very own Tyrann Mathieu. We’ve already discussed Mathieu’s free agent profile and covered the scenario in which Mathieu walks.

As that situation has dragged out, it seems less likely that Mathieu will remain a member of the Chiefs. Of course, he still could come back, but all it takes is one team to offer Mathieu the money that the Chiefs haven’t been able to give him in negotiations. All of a sudden you have a big need—not just at safety, but in the secondary in general—as Mathieu had been the unquestioned leader of that unit for the last few seasons

Luckily, we did mention a potential replacement for the Honey Badger at the end of the his free agent profile if he does end up departing that could kick-start a new movement for the Chiefs on the defensive side of the ball.

Could Marcus Williams be an option for the KC Chiefs in free agency?

New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Williams could be an option for the Kansas City Chiefs if he hits the open market. The Saints could very well tag him and this all could mean nothing. However, the Saints have one of the worst cap situations in the league and could be entering a rebuild following head coach Sean Payton stepping down.

If the Saints let Williams test the market, he’ll have plenty of suitors and the Chiefs could be a good spot for the explosive safety. Although, many may not want to see the Chiefs move on from Tyrann Mathieu, we have to consider that he is getting older. Paying Mathieu big money as he enters his thirties could be the reason we never saw a deal get done. It would appear the Chiefs want to get younger and faster on defense. That said, Williams offers a new and exciting play style for a team looking for that is looking to get younger.

At just 25 years old, Williams still has room to grow as a player as he is still infamously known for the whiffed tackle on Stefon Diggs in the “Minneapolis Miracle”. Despite that moment, Williams has been one of the league’s best young safeties racking up over 300 total tackles, 38 passes-defended, and 15 interceptions since entering the league in 2017.

An aspect of Williams’ game that is music to Chiefs fan’s ears is his ability to tackle. Williams is a hit-and-run safety who is physically imposing on top of being rangy and instinctive. While Mathieu has been great in a lot of areas for the Chiefs, he definitely seems to avoid tackling at times meanwhile Williams embraces it. Mathieu seems to be more integral when it comes to signal-calling and being that leader the secondary lacked but Williams makes up for that with his sheer ability and is still capable of being a leader.

The Chiefs simply need more speed and athleticism at each level of the defense in order to match up with more of their elite competition and budding rivals in the AFC that continue to add dangerous weapons. WIlliams could be a great start in revamping the defense, and he’s as good of an alternative to Tyrann Mathieu as you could realistically get this offseason.

Another benefit to adding Williams is his versatility that’s similar to Mathieu. He can play both safety spots, but he’s especially capable of playing the free safety spot. The Chiefs could then slide Juan Thornhill into Mathieu’s role since he hasn’t seemed to be able to recover from the ACL injury in his rookie season well enough to play on the back end as well as he used to.

Williams’ current estimated market value is around $15 million per year according to Spotrac.com. If Mathieu hits the open market and earns more than that from another team then I believe a lot of Chiefs fans would probably take the younger player for a little less money or would at least be okay settling with that. Maybe the Chiefs don’t offer that amount of money to either player but they could be competitive and offer Williams a fair deal as well as the opportunity to play on a contending team.

It remains to be seen whether or not Mathieu will return to the Chiefs, but if he doesn’t, Williams could be a great option who still has upside to replace the All-Pro safety.