The Kansas City Chiefs might want to do something sooner than later if they want defensive end Carlos Dunlap as a free agent.
At this point in the preseason, there remains a single name at a single position in whom the majority of Chiefs Kingdom remains hopeful that the team might show some interest: free agent defensive end Carlos Dunlap. Yet if the Chiefs are going to “get their man” in the end, they might need to make a move sooner than later.
Dunlap is the best remaining player available at the Chiefs’ greatest position of need. The team’s inaction with regards to Dunlap—or several other available players throughout the offseason—might tell us everything we need to know. However, that hasn’t stopped a legion of fans from expressing their hopes that Dunlap can or will be signed at some point before the regular season.
Herein lies the timing concern: Carlos Dunlap has suitors who are publicly talking about their interest in him.
Fitterer: Would still like to add a DT and an edge rusher. Says they talked to Carlos Dunlap and other guys yesterday, in addition to having Danny Shelton in for a visit.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) July 26, 2022
The “Fitterer” mentioned above is Scott Fitterer, general manager of the Carolina Panthers. Of all teams that Dunlap should want to play for, the Panthers are likely scheduled to make one of the first five picks in next year’s draft without even taking the field in 2022. That said, Dunlap can only play for teams that make him offers.
Last season, Dunlap had 8.5 sacks for the Seattle Seahawks and his floor is 6 sacks per season or more since 2011. For a team like the Chiefs who watched Melvin Ingram depart in free agency, they could use another veteran addition to take his part in the rotation. Even then, they’d still be leaning heavily on questions like first-round rookie George Karlaftis and restructured veteran Frank Clark.
So far, the Chiefs haven’t shown an inch of interest in Dunlap which seems absurd, to be honest. They’ve even brought in a free agent defensive end within the last 24 hours in former Cowboys LB/DL Azur Kamara. Yet Dunlap remains available in free agency.
Perhaps there will be some urgency now that other teams are clearly circling over Dunlap knowing that he might slip away. The truth is that the Chiefs’ inactivity at defensive end makes us more confident that they’re going with the youth movement to enter the season. Can the kids play? The Chiefs better hope so, because Dunlap isn’t the only player they’ve allowed to find his way to opposing teams despite the need in front of them.