Free agent defensive linemen that could help Kansas City Chiefs
Other Free Agent Edge Players
Yannick Ngakoue – Ngakoue is one of the biggest name edge player on the list, but does his play on the field still live up to his reputation? He’s only 28 and did have 9.5 sacks last season, but it seems like at his smaller size he’s now struggling to hold up against the run as well as he used to. He’d bring some needed pass rush upside to KC, but if his name still is going to warrant a solid contract I’m not sure he’s a great match for the Chiefs.
Jadeveon Clowney – Clowney probably is the biggest name edge player available in free agency. He profiles as the opposite of Ngakoue. He still holds up well against the run, but over the past four seasons he’s only had one year with more than 3 sacks. Like Ngakoue, Clowney would be a nice addition, but I think he’ll command a bigger contract than KC may be looking to pay for the role that they need.
Leonard Floyd – If the drafting of BJ Thompson signifies that KC is open to using a smaller pass rush specialist then maybe it’s not impossible they could consider Floyd to fill that role for a year while Thompson develops. He’s not anything like the edge players Steve Spagnuolo uses, but he has averaged almost 10 sacks a year over the past three seasons.
Robert Quinn – There were some rumors that the Chiefs were interested in bringing in Quinn a year or two ago. However, Quinn is also undersized for Spags and he seemed to be slowing down last season. He’d be worth a cheap flier if he’d be willing, but I would rank him well below the other players listed so far.
Trey Flowers – Flowers was once a promising edge player, but injuries have derailed his career. He’s averaged just six games per season over the past three years. If the Chiefs don’t want to create more cap space and are looking for someone to take a veteran minimum flier on, Flowers may not be able to find anyone willing to invest much more in him at this point.
Markus Golden – Golden has had a very up and down career. He has three really good pass rushing seasons where he averaged 11 sacks per season. However, in his other five seasons he’s averaged just 2.7 sacks. He’s 32 now and it would probably be foolish to expect another double digit sack season. That having been said, if he wants to chase a ring and sign a reasonable deal he could add some pass rush upside off the bench.
Dawuane Smoot – Smoot may not be a household name, but he’s been a solid rotational edge player for the Jaguars for the past four seasons, which means he’s worked with Joe Cullen before. He’s 28, so he’s one of the younger veteran options on this list. Smoot would be a solid under the radar signing for KC.
Jason Pierre-Paul – JPP obviously has a history with Spags and has had an impressive career, but at 34, I’m not sure he has enough gas left in the tank to really help KC like most of the other names on this list.
While Chris Jones might be campaigning for Frank Clark, I think you can argue that they need a starting caliber defensive tackle even more than they do an edge. So let’s finish by looking at the defensive tackle free agents that are available.