The Kansas City Chiefs have plenty of needs to address this offseason and safety is high up on that list. Even if Bryan Cook, one of the team's pending free agents, doesn't leave for another team, the safety position is still an area of concern for the Chiefs.
Fortunately, there are solutions for the team in free agency. Gilberto Manzano and Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated wrote about the top 50 free agents, their projected contracts, and potential landing spots and Kansas City was listed as a potential destination for two notable safeties.
SI links Chiefs to major safety upgrades
One of those safeties was Kam Curl of the Rams, who last year inked a two-year deal worth just under $9 million two years ago. It ended up being one bargain of a deal and now Curl will have a chance to earn a lot more money, as Manzano projected he'd earn a three-year deal worth $30 million.
"The Rams took a chance on a starting safety from one of the worst secondaries in the league, signing Curl from Washington. As it turned out, his two-year, $8.75 million contract was a bargain based on how well he played in Chris Shula’s defense. The 2020 seventh-round pick had 122 combined tackles and two interceptions this season."
Another safety who was linked to Kansas City in this article was Jalen Thompson of the Cardinals. Manzano projected that Thompson, who's been in the league since 2019 (the entirety of it spent in the desert with the Cardinals), would earn a two-year deal worth $20 million.
"Thompson has been a reliable starter for a handful of years, earning the trust of multiple coaching regimes in Arizona. Coach Jonathan Gannon could have brought in his own players to play safety, but decided to stick with the duo of Thompson and Budda Baker. Thompson, a 2019 fifth-round pick, has 87 career starts."
The Chiefs safety position simply wasn't good enough a season ago (even with Cook on the roster) so either of those guys would be an improvement. Chamarri Conner wasn't the player the Chiefs were hoping for, allowing the most receptions when targeted, per PFF.
Curl and Thompson would both give the Chiefs veteran leadership for their secondary and, in Thompson's case, he'd have a chance to join a better team by jumping ship to Kansas City. It'd be hard to complain about if Brett Veach was able to work his magic and get either of these players to sign with the Chiefs but even then, there will still be work to be done for this team at safety.