Before we start, shoutout to chiefs cheerleaders

Alright, serious tone now. First of all, these are the free agents that I think the chiefs need to retain.

1. Dwayne Bowe- We have the salary cap room to pay the man and we can not allow our #1 WR to walk via free agency. Lock Bowe up long term, it's as simple as that.

2. Brandon Carr (Franchise Tag)- Signing Bowe allows us to use our franchise tag on Carr.

3. Le'Ron McClain- I love the nasty edge McClain has and the heart that he plays with. An elite FB in my book.

4. Barry Richardson- Although I agree with the rest of AP on the fact that Richardson was an awful starter, I think he must be kept for depth.

5. Wallace Gilberry- The last thing I think we should do is strip this team of the few potential pass rushers we have on the D-Line. Assuming he doesn't request too much cash, I want to see Gilberry re-signed.

6. Amon Gordon- He's quite the journeyman, but he's captured my heart a little like Shaun Smith did (although not as much). He provides decent depth on the D-Line.

7. Jon McGraw- He's also a great depth player and special teams contributor.

8. Jovan Belcher- He is a decent starter at ILB and who I think the chiefs should bring back. Belcher and Siler should push each other and split time next to DJ.

Before Free Agency Starts

Pioli dials up the Rams front office and swings a trade something along the lines of this for the #2 overall pick.

2012 1st round pick, 2013 1st round pick, 2013 3rd round pick and Brandon Carr.

Maybe Pioli can swing a deal for slightly less, or maybe this offer won't even be enough, but something along these lines is what I would guess.

My rationale behind the trade

First of all I do not want to let Brandon Carr walk for just a compensatory pick or possibly less. At the same time, I do not think that we should tie up such a large amount of our salary cap in corners. We have Flowers (an elite player), Routt (a solid #2, who excels in the man press), Arenas (a steadily improving CB who is terrific in blitzing situations), Brown (A young player who has high upside), Reeves (a depth body as of now, who has the ability to suprise). Basically the defensive backfield is crowded and I wish we would of paid Carr in the first place and never signed Routt, but that decision has already been made.

The chiefs desperately need a franchise QB. I think Cassel can keep the chiefs in contention and we can be a good team with him, but we will never be great. The last 9 superbowls have been won by Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. This is a passing league and elite QB's are becoming more important than ever before.

Free Agency

1. Paul Soliai- Arguably the most important position in a 3-4 defense is the NT. Anchoring against the run and occupying blockers on the D-line so the LB's can shoot the gaps is so important. Hopefully Powe can continue to develop, but as of right now there is not a starting NT on this team. Soliai will plug this hole immediately and give the chiefs there first true NT since forever. Having a true nose will improve everyone else in the front 7. Wait....Tamba Hali improve? Scary.

2. BenJarvus Green-Ellis- I personally believe that Jamaal Charles will come back and from injury strong and replicate his success from two seasons ago. However, we need someone other than Thomas Jones or Jackie Battle to supplement Charles. The law firm was great in short yardage situations and has NEVER fumbled in his NFL career. He can spell Charles and be the main back in goal line situations. Also, he shouldn't be too pricey.

3. Ben Grubbs- I really like this guy and I, like the rest of AP, think we need to upgrade our offensive line. The Ravens have already committed a ton of money to Evan Mathis and they still have Ray Rice to worry about so I think Grubbs will hit the open market. He's great at both run blocking and pass blocking and he ran some zone blocking in Baltimore (although limited).

I tried not to sign to many premier FA's here because its not exactly the chiefs style to spend right up until the cap. These are the major three players I think we need to sign. As for the rest of the depth positions and competition, I leave that for Pioli to determine.

The Draft

1st Round #2 Overall- Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

With this pick, the chiefs get their franchise QB and future starter. Let Cassel start until RG3 learns the playbook and is ready to take over. I can't saw enough good things about this guy....He's intelligent, has a strong arm, has the ability to run, is a pass first QB, is a class act....etc. I could go on forever about the guy, but I know you have all read the numerous reports on him and evaluations. I encourage you to watch the videos on his combine interviews and especially the video where he is speaking with Mariucci. He's got the heart and commitment that many players lack, and a whole lot of talent. The upside on RG3 is the highest in the draft. Alright, I need to stop drooling.

2nd Round #44 Overall- Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State

A solid tackle prospect who was a four year starter at FSU. The chiefs desperately need some help at RT and this man fits the bill. He's a big presence at 6'6" and 310 pounds and has pretty quick feet that should allow him to protect the Chiefs QB. He could probably start right away, a full offseason is going to do wonders for many draftees this year.

3rd Round #75 Overall- Billy Winn, DE/DT, Boise State

Let's face it, neither Dorsey nor Jackson have lived up the being top 5 picks. Jackson has been improving and Dorsey is good at stopping the run, but overall they aren't the impact players you expect from that position in the draft. Dorsey will be a free agent after this season and its time to bring in some more young talent at the position. I like Bailey and think he will continue to improve, but the chiefs need more options. Winn has experience in 3 man fronts and he's both explosive and a good tackler. He might need to bulk up a little but I think he's a solid choice.

4th Round #107 Overall- Michael Egnew, TE, Missouri

I'll start this by saying I absolutely love Tony Moeaki and can't wait to see him back next year. That being said, he's an injury prone guy, and I don't want to be stuck trotting Pope or whoever else out on the field if he goes down. Also, the Patriots have shown what two good receiving TE's can do. Egnew is a good receiver who will need to work on his blocking at the NFL level. However, he is a high effort player who earns the respect of coaches and teammates.

Rounds 5-7- BPA.

Late round speculation at this point is pretty hard, Pioli will probably want to grab another pass rush prospect and maybe some safety depth. I will leave that up to him.

Chiefs Roster

As i said before, I'm not going to go into full 53 player detail, and a lot of the competition and depth will be found by Pioli. This is only a strong foundation of the roster.

Offense

QB- Matt Cassel, Robert Griffin III, Ricky Stanzi

RB- Jamaal Charles, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Dexter McCluster

FB- LeRon McClain

WR1- Dwayne Bowe, Terrance Copper

WR2- Jonathon Baldwin

Slot- Steve Breaston, Dexter McCluster

TE- Tony Moaeki, Michael Egnew, Jake O'Connell

LT- Branden Albert

LG- Ben Grubbs, Ryan Lilja

C- Rodney Hudson, Thomas Gafford

RG- Jon Asamoah

RT- Zebrie Sanders, Barry Richardson

Defense

DE- Glenn Dorsey, Billy Winn, Wallace Gilberry

NT- Paul Soliai, Jerrell Powe, Amon Gordon

DE- Tyson Jackson, Allen Bailey

OLB- Tamba Hali, Cameron Sheffield

ILB- Jovan Belcher, Brandon Siler

ILB- Derrick Johnson, Demorrio Williams, Cory Greenwood

OLB- Justin Houston, Andy Studebaker

CB- Brandon Flowers, Javier Arenas

CB Stanford Routt, Jalil Brown

SS- Eric Berry, Donald Washington

FS- Kendrick Lewis, Jon McGraw

K- Ryan Succop

P- Dustin Colquitt

LS- Thomas Gafford

Overall

I think this would put the chiefs in a great position to win the division next year and also set the chiefs up for a bright future. I really don't see a hole in that lineup. Other than the depth players Pioli will fill in. This offseason would fill our need at NT, RT, RB, and QB. While upgrading us at G. Assuming Moaeki, Berry and Charles come back, this team looks fantastic. Whats your thoughts?