The best remaining free agents for the Kansas City Chiefs

Edge Defenders

There isn’t a position with a bigger need for help on KC’s roster than at the edge spot. The Chiefs have Frank Clark, Mike Danna, and Josh Kaindoh, but that isn’t nearly enough to get the production they need off the edge. I think the Chiefs need a minimum of two more quality additions at the position to compete for snaps. One of those could be through the draft, but the other must be a veteran. Perhaps Brett Veach will work his trade magic once again, but if they have to find the answer in free agency all the available options come with some kind of questions. For some it is age, for some health, for some, it’s whether their production still is worth the price tag. Some of these players have been tied to other teams, but all of them are still officially free agents as of my writing this.

My top choices for KC: Za’Darius Smith, Carlos Dunlap, Melvin Ingram, Jadeveon Clowney

All four of these guys would be substantial upgrades over anyone the Chiefs currently have under contract. Za’Darius Smith would need to prove his back is 100% before he would be worth the price he is asking for. Carlos Dunlap would need to be a rotational player, but still has the pass rush ability we need. Melvin Ingram was our best edge player all season last year (not that it took much). Jadeveon Clowney would be a clear upgrade over our current guys, but his asking price may not be worth his production (and he reportedly would like to go back to Cleveland).

My second-tier options for KC: Jerry Hughes, Arden Key, Derek Barnett, Trey Flowers

These four come with even more (or bigger) questions than the top tier, but may come at a lower price tag. Jerry Hughes still has some juice, but he’d probably have to be a passing-down pass rush specialist at this point in his career. Arden Key looked like a bust early on, but he’s still young and San Francisco had a lot of luck rushing him from different spots on the defensive front last season (something that might appeal to Steve Spagnuolo). Derek Barnett is a young player with starting experience that has been solid, but not spectacular in any one area. Trey Flowers is just 28 but simply didn’t play up to his contract in Detroit. Could K.C. help him revitalize his career?

My last tier of options that appeal to me at all: Justin Houston, Jason Pierre-Paul, Rasheem Green, Lorenzo Carter

None of these players would excite me as full time starters in KC next season, but if they were signed to be part of the rotation I could live with it. They would need to combine with either another veteran or a high draft pick to make me feel at all optimistic. Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Houston are both guys at the end of their careers who have shown they aren’t quite done yet. They shouldn’t play every down and the explosion isn’t there anymore, but they could give you some valuable snaps. Rasheem Green and Lorenzo Carter are just the opposite. They are both young players with the physical tools that Spagnuolo might covet, but they’re still raw and haven’t proven themselves to be reliable full-time players yet.

If the Chiefs don’t go into the draft with at least one of these players on their roster (or having traded for someone) I am going to be extremely worried. Now let’s talk about the defensive tackle position.