Kansas City Chiefs: Three free agents with helpful experience

3. Vernon Butler

A 6-foot-4, 330-pound Vernon Butler would look excellent in rotation on the defensive line in Kansas City. Again, I know that there is a ton of excitement surrounding the defense’s success against the Chargers, and the front-7 in particular was excellent on Thursday. There is, however, some dead weight on the back end of the depth chart.

Vernon Butler has played in 76 NFL games since 2016 and started just 19 of them, but across those starts, his versatility was on display. In his most productive season, 2019, he had six sacks in nine starts at defensive end for the Carolina Panthers. As the Chiefs’ depth chart reads today, the interior defensive line features plenty of run-stuffing depth in Tershawn Wharton and Khalen Saunders, but the defensive end depth is sketchy beyond Mike Danna. Welcome to the hot seat, Joshua Kaindoh.

The only conceivable flaw in Brett Veach’s tenure as the Chiefs’ General Manager is his apparent inability to give up on project players that he drafted. Kaindoh was regarded as one of the most athletically gifted players in the 2021 draft but had little to no college tape to support his ability to use those gifts. I’m all for giving a kid a chance to succeed, but in a year where the Chiefs season will be remembered as a disappointment without another Super Bowl victory, there is no room for an anchor dragging behind the roster.

Vernon Butler has been more active and has far more experience than Kaindoh. Mixing his massive frame into the rotation on the edge and interior alike would keep opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks on full alert when the 1s and 2s have to take a breather.