Taylor Rapp could be ideal Juan Thornhill replacement for KC Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs will have a need at safety this offseason as Juan Thornhill is slated to hit free agency for the first time in his career and the team will only have Bryan Cook and Justin Reid under contract for 2023.

While the Chiefs may have something in rookie Bryan Cook and Justin Reid just came off a solid first season with Kansas City, the Chiefs will need depth at the position. With how much Kansas City loves to play three safeties, they’ll need to grab someone that can really play.

Many may suggest that the team just simply brings back Juan Thornhill, but he’s going to probably cost some money to bring back and if you’re going to spend some money you might as well do so on an upgrade.

FA Safety Taylor Rapp could be an ideal signing for KC Chiefs.

The free agent safety market will include some big names such as Cincinnati’s Jessie Bates and Philadelphia’s Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. However, that’s if you’re trying to hit a home run at the safety position. Right now, it doesn’t seem like Brett Veach and Co. will try to go big at safety after spending money on Justin Reid last offseason with a 3-year, $31,500,000 contract.

That said, a solid free agent safety that wouldn’t break the bank is Los Angeles Rams safety Taylor Rapp. Rapp, who was connected to Kansas City during the 2019 draft process, is a versatile safety who could be an intriguing piece to add to an already young, rising Chiefs secondary.

What makes Rapp an appealing option is his versatility as we know defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo loves to move guys around in the secondary to disguise potential matchups. Rapp can also step in and play alongside Reid and give Kansas City a really good safety duo, especially in coverage. Rapp has range but can also come down and cover tight ends—an area in which Kansas City has struggled in the past. As an added plus, Rapp is a great tackler and embraces contact. He racked up 100 combined tackles last season with the Rams.

Rapp’s market value according to Spotrac.com is around $10 million per year. If the Chiefs were to hypothetically give him that type of contract, they’d be spending a little bit more than most teams on the safety position, but they would also have a heck of a safety group.

A trio of Rapp, Cook, and Reid would allow the Chiefs to continue utilizing their three-safety sets and they would have plenty of experience between the three of them. We do know the Chiefs aren’t afraid to roll with youth and inexperience as they did so this past season in the secondary so, could they draft a safety instead? Sure, but it wouldn’t be a bad move to pick up a good veteran safety like Rapp on a fair deal in free agency to strengthen further a unit that looks like it has a lot of potential already and it allows you to focus your draft picks elsewhere.