Earlier this offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs made their first addition to the coaching staff with the news that Joe Cullen had joined Andy Reid’s team on the defensive side. It was a way to add a proven set of eyes to a defense set for radical changes on the roster, part of an overall shakeup involving a few assistants heading into 2022.
Cullen is a former defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars who has been a longtime d-line coach for several NFL franchises, including several seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. His lone season in Jacksonville was a miserable one with the Urban Meyer scandal clouding a season of numerous losses, but he arrives in K.C. hopeful about a chance to chase a ring (and to forget all the misery left behind).
To make room for Cullen on the coaching staff, the Chiefs shifted Brendan Daly, who had worked with the defensive line for the past three seasons after coming over from the New England Patriots, to linebackers in place of Matt House, who had accepted an invitation from new LSU head coach Brian Kelly to be his defensive coordinator.
If Joe Cullen is going to have any influence over who he might be working with for the Chiefs, here are a few free agent ties.
Given that Cullen is now back to his familiar role as a positional coach at the pro level, no one is going to believe he has major sway into the personnel decisions of the Chiefs front office. Things just don’t work that way when it comes to organizational structure or communication. That said, general manager Brett Veach would be remiss if he didn’t check in with Cullen on this year’s free agent class and what the team’s new coach thought of potential imports.
If Cullen wanted to work with a familiar face or two in his first season with the Chiefs, there are a few interesting defensive linemen who are set to be free agents this offseason. While none of them are going to known as a blockbuster signing, the Chiefs know they need depth along the entire defensive front if they want to make another deep postseason run. That could make some of Cullen’s old friends a welcome addition to the Chiefs in ’22.
Let’s run down some names who could serve as key rotational pieces as the Chiefs look to develop d-line depth in free agency.