KC Chiefs: The four biggest surprises in free agency
By Matt Conner
No edge help in FA
Raise your hand if you saw this coming. (Don’t lie, because none of us did.)
It’s one thing that Melvin Ingram got away from the Chiefs in free agency. If we were honest, we would have noticed that he never once chose the team on his own accord. It’s another thing entirely that the Chiefs came away from free agency with nothing new at the edge position.
It’s important here to note that the Chiefs weren’t entirely inactive when it comes to defensive ends. Frank Clark had his own contract restructured in order to remain with the team instead of being a likely candidate for release. It also helps when a team invests a first-round pick on the position as they did in George Karlaftis. But for a position that was a weakness coming into the offseason, it’s a big surprise that the Chiefs didn’t go shopping here.
One important note that will likely be lost as an important detail is that the Chiefs decided to trade Tyreek Hill well into March to save money. The deal created cap space but by that point, the majority of any desirable edge players were off the market (for the most part). Perhaps the Chiefs could have signed someone or pulled off a significant trade if they’d freed up that money earlier.
A move can still be made given that it’s only late May, but for now, the Chiefs look like they’re believing in Mike Danna to make another step forward and for Joshua Kaindoh and/or Malik Herring to offer some reliable production, even in limited reps.