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A Kansas City Chiefs fan’s guide to start of NFL free agency

By Lyle Graversen

KANSAS CITY, MO - NOVEMBER 03: Kansas City Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, left, and general manager Brett Veach, right, watch pregame warmups prior to the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Arrowhead Stadium on November 3, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - NOVEMBER 03: Kansas City Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, left, and general manager Brett Veach, right, watch pregame warmups prior to the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Arrowhead Stadium on November 3, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – OCTOBER 24: Ben Niemann #56 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks to the sidelines during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans defeated the Chiefs 27-3. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – OCTOBER 24: Ben Niemann #56 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks to the sidelines during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans defeated the Chiefs 27-3. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Linebackers

The Chiefs are losing a lot of linebacker snaps from last season with Anthony Hitchens cut and Ben Niemann a pending free agent. I don’t think most Chiefs fans want to see Niemann re-signed, but Nick Bolton and Willie Gay can’t be the only linebackers to contribute next year. So the Chiefs need to go out and sign some guys to contribute, but how much do they want to spend on this position?

After committing valuable draft picks to Bolton and Gay, I can’t see them spending big money on a third linebacker. Bolton and Gay will likely be the two linebackers on the field the most and I’m fine with that, but how do they fill out the rest of their rotation? If Bolton is taking over Hitchens spot and they want a run-stuffer to fill Bolton’s role from last season, a reunion with Damien Wilson could make some sense. Wilson would be cheap, could play special teams, and brought some intensity to the defense.

Pairing Wilson with a linebacker that is better in coverage could keep the Chiefs from needing to bring back Niemann. Jayon Brown and Anthony Walker would both fit the profile of athletic linebackers that could play in coverage. The question will be if their price tag will be more than K.C. wants to spend on a rotational coverage linebacker. This will be an interesting position to watch. There are some bigger names out there on the market, I just don’t know if it makes sense for KC to target them.

Now let’s move to the secondary.

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