4 former Chiefs who are surprisingly free agents
By Matt Conner
As we enter the dog days of summer, the NFL is mostly on cruise control through OTAs until training camp. While there are some mandatory minicamps to come and further offseason training activities, it’s also the time of year when many coaches, players, and execs find the time to relax and get away—which means the league’s transaction wire goes quite silent for a spell.
The lack of moves can be frustrating this time of year for those free agents who are left hanging, wondering if they’re going to find meaningful work or if the bell has finally rung for them. Each player will call it quits sooner or later and very few stop playing of their own volition. But there’s also a burst of activity that will happen before training camp, so at this point, it’s hard to say who will be back and who will not.
At this point, we can at least point to a few former free agents of the Kansas City Chiefs and wonder why we’re not seeing any news on them. Some veterans like to wait until close to training camp anyway in order to rest as much as possible, but as they get older, they also have to wonder if that strategy will hold up.
Here are four former Chiefs free agents to watch for on the transaction wire in case some news does come across it.
Carlos Dunlap
The first free agent up here is the veteran who put the Chiefs’ unit over the top last year, playing the role of Melvin Ingram from the previous season as the experienced help that the team could rely upon to put in rotational snaps while keeping the pass rush healthy and effective.
The Chiefs have been leaning upon the same model for the last few years in this way with the need for a savvy veteran coming in to aid other obvious starters. After Ingram and Dunlap, the Chiefs look ready for a more youthful direction after consecutive first-round investments to go with the signing of 25-year-old Charles Omenihu.
Last season, Dunlap was credited with 5 sacks and 32 total pressures from Pro Football Focus with a solid run defense score, which shows a rare ability to remain well-rounded well into his thirties. Given that he hasn’t said a word about retirement, Dunlap remains available and could be courted to return in a similar role if he wanted to chase another ring. But for any other team, he’d also be a valuable contributor.