Kansas City Chiefs trade candidates to clear cap space
By Jacob Milham
The Kansas City Chiefs are in a real pickle right now. The team has a measly $562,353 in cap space, according to Over The Cap. That ranks dead last in the league, at a time when teams look to capitalize on cap casualties ahead of the final 53-man rosters. Brett Veach would usually be looking to what castoffs he could acquire, but now, he needs to be looking to clear out some cap space.
Now, most informed Chiefs fans will know that extending or negotiating a new deal with defensive tackle Chris Jones will likely add some dollars to the cap space. While the team is optimistic about a deal getting done, Jones is still not in St. Joseph and there are no signs of a new deal's progress. Jones is not beyond being expendable, but he is very close to that status.
Fans should be expected for any result regarding Jones this offseason. His starting the 2023 season on his current deal is a very real possibility, but that possibility would hinder the Chiefs financially. If Veach wanted to move a few players and capitalize upon their cap relief, who could he target?
Prince Tega Wanogho - Saves $1,465,000
Wait, wait, wait, wait... when in the world did Prince Tega Wanogho get a contract with a nearly $2M cap hit for this year (and if so, why bury him by signing/drafting three new offensive tackles)? That's a lot of money for OT5.
— Matt Conner (@MattConnerAA) July 26, 2023
Matt brings up some fair points here. Offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho once had value on the Chiefs roster. The Eagles drafted him in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but he made his way to Kansas City ahead of the 2021 season. But, despite the Chiefs' rickety offensive tackle play over those two years, Wanogho only logged 66 offensive snaps across the 2021 and 2022 seasons. That is not a glowing endorsement regarding his fit in Kansas City or possibly his overall talent.
Wanogho is not a terrible tackle. It is hard to pass final judgment on less than a hundred reps at any position. PFF gave him a 68.4 player grade in 2022, with both his pass and run blocking grades above 63. That is not shutdown stuff, but there are plenty of starting tackles out there with worse performances on bigger deals.
There may not be a booming market for Wanogho out there, but the Chiefs need to get him off the books. Kansas City has better or more controllable options to replace him. Plus, that cap space would be valuable for some breathing space at the very least.