KC Chiefs have other veteran edge options in free agency

Chiefs Kingdom received a shock this week when it was announced that Melvin Ingram would not be coming back to Kansas City. Instead, he signed a contract to join the Miami Dolphins. It seemed almost a foregone conclusion that Ingram would return to K.C., and it came as a surprise when it was announced he wouldn’t be coming back.

With Ingram off the table and the Chiefs still needing help at edge, there are still some intriguing free agents out there. Jadeveon Clowney is a name that has been mentioned, but what about other options? One such player is Carlos Dunlap.

At 33, Dunlap is the same age as Ingram and is coming off a much better season. Ingram had just one sack for the Chiefs last year and two all season including his time in Pittsburgh. He had 25 tackles and four tackles for a loss.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a couple of veteran edge options in free agency even with Melvin Ingram off the table.

Dunlap on the other hand, who spent last season with Seattle, was far more productive. He only started two games for the Seahawks, but he still had 8.5 sacks, 35 tackles, and eight tackles for a loss – significantly more than not just Ingram, but also Frank Clark too.

Dunlap spent the first 10 years of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals before being traded to Seattle mid-way through the 2020 season. The Seahawks cut Dunlap this offseason, despite him leading the team in sacks in 2021.

As a veteran player who would fill a position of need, Dunlap could certainly be an ideal replacement for Ingram. Ingram has only had more sacks than Dunlap in a season once over their careers (2017), and over the last three seasons, Dunlap has a massive 13.5 more sacks than Ingram. The Dolphins signed Ingram to a one-year, $4 million deal, and Dunlap’s price would probably be in a similar ballpark.

If the Chiefs wanted to look at another veteran option to replace Ingram, Jason Pierre-Paul could fit the bill. Again, he is a veteran player that is the same age as Ingram, that has outperformed him over the past few seasons.

Admittedly, Pierre-Paul is coming off what was statistically one of the worst years of his career in 2021, but he still had more sacks (2.5) and tackles (31) than Ingram did. Pierre-Paul made the Pro Bowl as recently as 2020 and had 9.5 sacks that year, also helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the Super Bowl that year. The former Buc and New York Giant is likely to coast more than both Ingram and Dunlap, but could still be a potential option for K.C.

Neither Dunlap nor Pierre-Paul would be game-changers for the Chiefs, but at the same time, they don’t necessarily need them to be. The Chiefs need depth at defensive end, and both can provide that while at the same time bringing experience and more production to the table compared to Ingram.

As like-for-like veteran players, both Dunlap and Pierre-Paul could give the Chiefs an extra edge compared to Ingram.