Stay or go? What the Kansas City Chiefs should do with their 22 free agents
Six weeks after the abrupt end to their playoff run, the Chiefs are on the verge of making the moves that will shape their 2022 roster.
Free agency is near.
The NFL’s legal tampering period, as it’s called, begins at 11 a.m. Monday, opening a 52-hour window in which franchises can begin (wink) negotiating with all unrestricted free agents.
Two days later, it’s on. The new league year and free agency officially open Wednesday afternoon.
While general manager Brett Veach indicated he would likely sit out the first wave of free agency, the Chiefs first have decisions to make about their own players — determinations that have been unfolding over the past couple of weeks.
The Chiefs have 22 players set to become unrestricted free agents this offseason, headlined by safety Tyrann Mathieu. But there are a lot more critical pieces to last year’s roster.
How should the Chiefs approach of their 22 free agents? Here’s a guide.
Tyrann Mathieu, safety
What the Chiefs should do: Wait on the market.
The best free-agent signing in Veach’s tenure as general manager will enter free agency once more.
Upon his arrival three years ago, Mathieu was charged with changing the culture of a Chiefs defense that cost them a trip to the Super Bowl in 2018. He did that and more — he has either made the All-Pro team or Pro Bowl in all three seasons in Kansas City while surpassing 3,000 defensive snaps. And he is the unquestionable leader of a young secondary.
But he will turn 30 in May, and with a tight salary-cap situation, the Chiefs can only open the checkbook so far. If Mathieu receives an offer that would make him one of the highest-paid safeties in the league and asks the Chiefs to match, they’d be wise to thank him for the past three years but move on. If he doesn’t find that offer, though, the Chiefs need to keep the door open for a return at a lesser number. Me? I’d top out at somewhere around $11 million annually.
Charvarius Ward, cornerback
What the Chiefs should do: Let him walk.
Ward has long been underrated in Kansas City because he doesn’t have the ball skills to be a true No. 1 cornerback. But he’s an above-average starter in this league who fits well with a Steve Spagnuolo scheme that asks him to play press coverage and lots and lots of man-to-man.
So why let him walk?
Price. Cornerbacks get paid in free agency, and it’s easy to envision Ward landing a contract that pays him eight figures annually. Add to that, the Chiefs have shown an ability to find cheap cornerbacks and plug them into Spagnuolo’s system without much of a hiccup. It makes little sense to shell out big money here.
Derrick Nnadi, defensive tackle
What the Chiefs should do: Bring him back.
Nnadi is coming off a disappointing 2021 season. After taking a step forward in his third season, there was a noticeable drop-off in Year Four. I still believe Nnadi has a lot to offer in an area in which the Chiefs need — run defense.
They’ll need more bodies at defensive tackle regardless. Why not go with the player who knows the system and fills an exact need?
Melvin Ingram, defensive end
What the Chiefs should do: Bring him back on a one-year deal.
If Ingram indeed wants to play another season, the Chiefs should ensure it’s in Kansas City. The defensive line operated completely differently after his mid-season addition, even if this was less evident in the actual statistics. His power eats up blockers and eases the assignments of those alongside him. A one-year deal makes sense here, with Ingram serving as a rotational piece.
Byron Pringle, wide receiver
What the Chiefs should do: Bring him back.
Pringle has developed into a nice NFL story. He signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2018 before a season-ending injury in the preseason finale. A year later, he cracked the 53-man roster but played sparingly.
Two years later, he became a reliable weapon for Patrick Mahomes in the offense and the team’s primary kick returner. He caught 42 passes for 568 yards and five touchdowns last season. His trajectory is hard to ignore. So is his connection with the quarterback. Add to that, it shouldn’t take significant funds to secure his return in 2022.
Note: Just because you retain Pringle doesn’t mean he needs to operate in a No. 2 role. The Chiefs still need another player in their receiver room.
Andrew Wylie, offensive lineman
What the Chiefs should do: Make an offer to bring him back, but don’t overdo it.
Wylie provides a lot of value to NFL teams because of his ability to play on the inside or the outside. He has logged 2,901 regular season snaps in four years in Kansas City, starting games at right guard, left guard and then right tackle.
So bring him back, right? You’d like to, sure, but other teams see that same value and could be willing to offer something in excess of $5 million. That would be harder to justify.
Jarran Reed, defensive tackle
What the Chiefs should do: Bring him back on another one-year deal.
It was a rough start to his first year in Kansas City, but he was a pretty significant contributor down the stretch and particularly into the playoffs — which came after the Chiefs reshuffled things along their d-line.
After recording zero sacks and six stops (a tackle that represents a failed offensive snap) in the initial nine games, per Pro Football Focus, Reed had four sacks and 20 stops over the next 11 games, including the postseason. It seems the Chiefs are prepared to let Reed go, but I’d consider another year.
Daniel Sorensen, defensive back
What the Chiefs should do: Let him walk, but leave the door open.
This won’t be my most popular of these 22 moves. I understand most want him gone, end of story. That’s the ideal scenario for me, too, but the Chiefs have just one safety from last year’s roster under contract (Juan Thornhill). That leaves a lot of gaps. And I can envision a scenario in which it makes sense to return to Sorensen late in the summer.
We can all agree Sorensen’s lack of athleticism was flat-out exposed when he played as a deep safety in a cover-2 alignment, which is where he opened the 2021 season.
But in the hybrid linebacker/safety role that Steve Spagnuolo likes to employ on third downs? He can still play there.
Don’t fault the player for being asked to play a position that exposed his weaknesses.
Jerick McKinnon, running back
What the Chiefs should do: Bring him back on a one-year deal.
The playoff run proved McKinnon still has some burst, despite his age (30 in May) and injury history. No one is advocating a long-term deal, but is there anyone on the roster better in the screen game than McKinnon?
His three playoff games might be the best three-game stretch any Chiefs running back had in 2021. In those three playoff outings, McKinnon rushed for 150 yards and caught 14 passes for another 165 yards.
Darrel Williams, running back
What the Chiefs should do: Let him walk.
If I’m bringing back McKinnon, as stated above, I’m letting Williams explore free agency. Derrick Gore is an exclusive rights free agent — meaning the Chiefs need only to offer him a one-year contract at the league minimum — and showed he’s plenty capable of operating as a third running back. With Clyde Edwards-Helaire, McKinnon and Gore back, I don’t have a place for Williams.
Demarcus Robinson, wide receiver
What the Chiefs should do: Let him walk.
He’s familiar with the offense. He’s played some special teams. He’s been a part of this thing for six seasons now.
But it’s time to cut ties with Robinson — or perhaps one year past time. He caught only 25 passes for 264 yards — an average of just 10.6 yards per reception — despite seeing more offensive snaps than Mecole Hardman. Really. It’s simple: The Chiefs need a receiver who can do more with these opportunities.
Mike Hughes, cornerback
What the Chiefs should do: Let him walk.
Yes, the Chiefs will need some cornerbacks this offseason, particularly if Ward departs in free agency this month, but Hughes had a knack for allowing big plays. It doesn’t help that some of his worst moments came in the playoffs. The Chiefs might be enticed by a one-year contract, but they can make an upgrade here.
Ben Niemann, linebacker
What the Chiefs should do: Let him walk.
To be honest, I could see the Chiefs bringing Niemann back on a one-year deal given how many other linebackers might be departing. But he’s put out of position as a coverage linebacker, and the best way to guarantee an upgrade in the personnel on the field is to alter the personnel on the roster.
Blake Bell, tight end
What the Chiefs should do: Let him walk.
The Chiefs drafted Noah Gray last summer, and Jody Fortson was a training camp and early-season standout before an injury. There’s depth in this room already, in other words. Bell does offer more as a blocker than those other options, but it’s hard to justify keeping four tight ends again in 2022.
Chad Henne, quarterback
What the Chiefs should do: Bring him back on a one-year deal.
At some point, the Chiefs will likely need to go cheaper here, but there’s no obvious backup ready to take the No. 2 role, so Henne should stick. It’s more logical than bringing in another veteran from the outside.
Alex Okafor, defensive end
What the Chiefs should do: Let him walk.
The Chiefs have spent two straight drafts looking for upgrades at defensive end (Mike Danna and Joshua Kaindoh) and figure to throw more draft resources at the position next month. That makes a veteran like Okafor more expendable.
Mike Remmers, right tackle
What the Chiefs should do: Depends on the medicals.
The toughest of the 22 to project simply because of what we don’t know — whether his back and knee injuries are fully healed. Remmers had a solid 2020 season while filling in at right tackle — so solid that the Chiefs were ready to open 2021 with him as a starter. But a training camp injury altered those plans. He was just never able to get healthy for an extended period. That would lower his price for 2022, and if the Chiefs’ medical staff approves, a one-year deal would be attractive.
Michael Burton, fullback
What the Chiefs should do: Bring him back on a one-year deal.
Burton provided an upgrade to veteran Anthony Sherman. He’s valuable as a pass blocker, and the Chiefs actually utilized him effectively in the running game, too. He carried the ball eight times — all eight went for first downs or touchdowns. He also played on nearly half of the Chiefs’ special teams snaps.
Dorian O’Daniel, linebacker
What the Chiefs should do: Let him walk.
O’Daniel is a four-phase special teams player, but the Chiefs certainly had higher hopes when they selected him in the third round of the 2018 draft. He didn’t factor into the mix at linebacker, quickly surpassed on the depth chart by Niemann, an undrafted player.
Armani Watts, safety
What the Chiefs should do: Let him walk.
See above. A former fourth-round pick, Watts just hasn’t been able to crack the defensive rotation, despite some obvious needs for help at third safety. He’s a valuable special teams player, but coordinator Dave Toub has shown a knack for developing those tools in training camp.
Austin Blythe, offensive line
What the Chiefs should do: Bring him back on a one-year deal.
Blythe had sports hernia surgery last August, after signing a one-year deal with the Chiefs earlier in the offseason, and he played all of 12 snaps in 2021.
But just because he didn’t play last year doesn’t mean you want need him next year. The Chiefs know better than anyone that you need depth on the offensive line. His ability to play any of the three interior spots is enough to warrant an inexpensive return.
Kyle Long, offensive line
What the Chiefs should do: Let him walk.
It’s valuable to have a veteran former All-Pro player serve as the depth along the offensive line, but considering he did not even dress most games, the Chiefs can explore a cheaper option elsewhere. Long made $1.5 million on his one-year deal.