The Kansas City Chiefs made most of their significant acquisitions last offseason through trades as well as the draft. Even with that being the case, they still signed several players through free agency that played significant snaps for them last season.
Let’s take a look at the Chiefs’ most noteworthy free agent signings from the last offseason and assign each a grade. Note: Signings that did not see much game action last season, such as Kyle Long and Austin Blythe, were not graded.
Jarran Reed, DT
I believe that it’s fair to say that Jarran Reed and the Kansas City Chiefs were not a great match for each other. He performed better in the second half of the season than the first but it still was not a great season overall. That explains why the Chiefs made little effort to re-sign him and he went on to sign with the Green Bay Packers in March.
Though Reed’s year in Kansas City was disappointing, it wasn’t completely uneventful, as he did force a fumble that led to an opening play touchdown for the Chiefs defense in Week 14 against Las Vegas. Almost everyone close to Kansas City and their fans expected more from a 1-year, $5 million signing. Reed’s season was forgettable and there was no chance that he would be brought back at the same price as 2021.
The Grade: D
Derrick Gore, RB
Derrick Gore was one of the most pleasant surprises for the Chiefs in 2021. After signing a reserve/futures contract in February of 2021, he had a strong preseason and was added to the active roster in mid-October.
Over his first season seeing regular-season action, Gore had 51 attempts for 256 yards, plus 8 catches for 105 yards and 2 total touchdowns. His biggest moment of the season was a 51-yard touchdown run in a 48-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
It’s not every year that a team signs a player from another team to a reserve/futures contract and they turn out to be a productive player. Though Gore never saw consistent playing time, considering the price the Chiefs paid, they got fantastic bang for their buck.
The Grade: B+
Michael Burton, FB
It’s difficult to grade a fullback signing since using fullbacks as rushing or receiving options, with some exceptions, is headed toward the direction of powdered wigs. But it appears that the Chiefs found their Anthony Sherman replacement with Michael Burton.
Burton signed with the Chiefs after leaving the New Orleans Saints in April of 2021, not long after Sherman retired. He was mostly used in a blocking role but occasionally got his time in the limelight, mainly on 4th and shorts. Overall, he had 10 rushing attempts for 30 yards, plus a touchdown in Week 15 against the LA Chargers.
In the end, I wouldn’t classify the Burton signing as a great one but I wouldn’t call it a bad one either. He didn’t fail to meet expectations although he didn’t exceed them by much either. This is a textbook example of a solid addition.
The Grade: B-
Blake Bell, TE
Blake Bell is another player whose contribution is tough to gauge by just the box score alone. The Chiefs brought him back after a season with the Dallas Cowboys. He didn’t sign for much, which makes sense he is a backup tight end who is not a huge receiving threat.
In his return to Kansas City in 2021, Bell had 10 receptions for 90 yards. He also recorded PFF pass and run-blocking grades of 70.5 and 70.2 ($), respectively (with 60.0 considered average).
It’s not easy grading a tight end whose primary duty is blocking. Though he wasn’t a ghost in the passing game, it’s tough to view Bell as a great TE2 when he hasn’t had more than 110 receiving yards in a season since 2015. His contract wasn’t a bad one but it wasn’t a steal either.
The Grade: C+
Joe Thuney, OL
It’s pretty difficult to get a great value when signing an offensive guard to a 5-year, $80 million contract but the Kansas City Chiefs may have come as close as any team in recent memory when they signed Joe Thuney to that deal.
It’s easy for contracts like that to go sideway since most players are closer to 30 than 20 when they sign those contracts. Many players never return to the level they were at on their old team, especially when that old team is the New England Patriots. But not Thuney.
Thuney managed to have a career year in Kansas City after leaving New England. According to Pro Football Focus, Thuney had an overall grade of 81.2 and a pass-blocking grade of 90.5 ($) (with 90.0 considered “elite”), respectively, with both being the best of his career. Not only was his 90.5 pass-blocking grade the best among all guards in the NFL, but it was also the best among all offensive linemen. Period.
If you would have told me a year ago that the Chiefs wouldn’t come close to regretting signing Joe Thuney, I wouldn’t have believed it. He managed to have a career season after signing a huge contract, which isn’t common in the NFL. The only reason this grade won’t be an A+ is that he did sign a top-of-the-market contract so the value isn’t 100% there but it is close.
The Grade: A
Which grades did I get right? Which did I get wrong? Feel free to let me know in the comment section or on Twitter (@StrozinskyLucas).