Exploring Kansas City Chiefs range of options for pass rushing help

Patience in the preseason

Two things are important to finish up with here: 1.) The Chiefs went young this offseason, and 2.) Brett Veach is now a seasoned exec. The combination of those might keep the Chiefs from making any moves.

Veach has been around long enough to go from reactive to proactive. It’s why the last two drafts have looked so much better than more aggressive draft classes in 2018 and 2019 that were marked by moves up the draft order to secure talents disproportional to the cost. He’s likely a lot more patient than he was in those first few months and years, and it’s why the Chiefs might be better off allowing the present competition to play out.

What would that involve? It would likely mean seeing if Michael Danna is ready to take the next step in his development as a rotational pass rusher. It means watching Joshua Kaindoh closely to see if he’s ready to put it all together. It’s seeing if Malik Herring is a hidden gem who slipped under the radar for teams as an injured asset out of Georgia. It’s hoping someone like Austin Edwards can break through and surprise the coaching staff after sticking around on the fringes of the offseason roster and practice squad.

What the Chiefs can afford to do is to wait and see if the need at edge is as great as people fear and then respond. The downside here is that efforts to shore up the team could be too little, too late as other teams grab whatever is left on the shelves in the form of a trade for Quinn or the signing of Dunlap. Here’s where Veach’s experience and input from coaches will have to come together to figure out how to thread the needle.

It’s not the sort of options fans were hoping for, but this is the table set before the Chiefs. Now the Kingdom has to wait and see which choice(s) Veach will make.