Eagles thin out Chiefs’ free agent options for defensive line help

The Kansas City Chiefs showed an interest in adding talent to the defensive line, but the Philadelphia Eagles have been thinning their choices.

There’s no way of knowing if the Kansas City Chiefs were ever going to come around to shopping in the defensive line aisle of the NFL free agency store (we had to carry that analogy all the way through). What is known at this point is that the pickings are even slimmer than they were a week ago thanks to the recent signings by the Philadelphia Eagles.

It’s too common to see a familiar face signing with a new team these days given that the NFL trade deadline has come and gone and most teams are working with the talent they have. However, the Eagles have been stocking up along the defensive interior in recent days with the signings of both Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh.

Joseph and Suh are both long-term veterans who have enjoyed successful careers in the NFL. Suh has a Hall of Fame case to argue when all is said and done given his Aaron Donald-esque dominance for a solid half-decade and his longevity and consistent productivity for several more seasons. Joseph is a two-time Pro Bowler himself hoping to chase a second Super Bowl ring.

The key for the Chiefs here is that it wasn’t that long ago that general manager Brett Veach filed a waiver claim with the league for the rights to employ former Chargers defensive lineman Jerry Tillery. Eight teams in total claimed him, including K.C., but the Las Vegas Raiders won out due to their poor record.

While this could have been a singular interest in Tillery as an intriguing addition, a move for which the Chiefs would have made room, it could also be read the other way. It’s possible that the Chiefs look at the sum of players along the defensive front and realize an upgrade could be made along the interior. Remember: Tillery was losing playing time in L.A. for good reason. He’s below average against the run (or worse) and his disruptive abilities weren’t good enough to balance that out.

If Tillery was a leap over, say, Taylor Stallworth, then would the Chiefs have eventually gone shopping for help of their own? And would the Chiefs have liked Suh instead, for example? We will never know.

Perhaps the Eagles’ moves have no effect at all on the Chiefs or maybe K.C’s front office is a little frustrated at having their shopping list affected by the moves of another team trying to shore up the trenches. It will be interesting to see if the Chiefs signal any more moves or concerns at the position.