4 free agent bargains the Kansas City Chiefs should have made
By Matt Conner
Brent Urban
New contract: 1 year, $1.37M from the Baltimore Ravens
The Kansas City Chiefs have to trust their process. Every team should. Otherwise, why bother with things like scouting and drafting and coaching?
This is important to note because the Chiefs' process should have them looking just fine on the edges by the end of the 2024 season. George Karlaftis should have one side locked down in his third NFL season, while Charles Omenihu should be recovered from a torn ACL to lock down the other side. Behind them, rookies like Felix-Anudike Uzomah and B.J. Thompson should develop in their second seasons, which leaves only a smaller rotational need overall at defensive end.
That's where a signing like Brent Urban would come in handy. The veteran edge had a career-high last season with 3 sacks while providing solid looks against the run on a part-time basis for the Baltimore Ravens, and it's why they re-signed him again for the 2024 season despite the fact that he's now into his mid-thirties (he will be 33 in May).
For a team like the Chiefs, spending a ton to clog up developmental processes does not make sense but if that player was an aging asset on a low-cost deal, then it suddenly syncs with the bigger picture. And Urban would fit in well on Steve Spagnuolo's defense as a 6'7" edge who clocks 310 lbs. and can get his hands in passing lanes.
Urban is not a unicorn and there are others like him, but his profile is a perfect low-level fit for a team like the Chiefs and he would have had fans feeling better about the position heading into the draft.