FanPost

Kansas City Chiefs In-House Free Agents

Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

From the FanPosts -Joel

In my post, First Moves of the Offseason If I Were GM, I mentioned another post regarding free agent Husain Abdullah. Here is that post covering the current free agents the Chiefs and my opinions on who should be back in the red and gold.

1.) Players I Would Resign

We will start with the most important pending free agent, Thomas Gafford. Joking aside I cannot remember the art of the long snap being an issue in recent memory and for that reason alone you bring back the veteran. (I swear I wrote my rough draft before he was resigned)

Geoff Schwartz was not a huge splash when brought on board last offseason but when called upon he preformed quite well. He has stated that he values long term security and is still young enough to offer the versatile player a contract giving him just that. He will not likely ask for an excessive payday but will not be playing for a veteran minimum either. I am not confident that Schwartz should be our starter for any duration of the contract but he provides wonderful competition to push other players to perform better and his ability to fill in as the right tackle or either guard position is invaluable.

A player that did well when given the opportunity was Husain Abdullah. Bringing him back shouldn’t break the bank and his performance on the field justifies a new contract. Abdullah may not be the guy we need playing free safety but will push Sanders Commings or any offseason addition (Calvin Pryor but that’s another post) to be the best player they can.

The most expensive player that I would try very hard to keep in Kansas City is run DMC. McCluster may never live up to his draft pick expectations and may not have elite burner speed but the man has special short distance quickness and acceleration. Dexter is a little guy and the recent addition of Weston Dressler may be the writing on the wall that he will not be retained but he has reliable hands and Coach Reid knows how to utilize his skill set. Special Teams Coach Dave Toub should be reminding General Manager John Dorsey just how valuable having a player with elite quickness fielding punts can be, see Hester, Devin. (I know Hester is one of a kind and even the slightest comparison between the two is somewhat disrespectful)

Jerrell Powe, Frank Zombo, and Kyle Williams are also players I would retain but of less importance. Zombo is a serviceable fill in but I hope he won’t have to start five consecutive games again. Powe has promise, adds depth, and I love the Land Shark nickname. I believe Alex Smith had a lot to do with Williams being brought to Kansas City and there must be a reason for that.

2.) Bob Barker Players

If the price is right I do not hesitate to keep Tyson Jackson in a Chiefs uniform. I do not think this is likely because I think Jackson is much better suited to play defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme and some team will outbid the Chiefs. Tyson is a great player in run support but he should never have been selected with the third overall pick, looking back that was an underwhelming draft class anyhow. Jackson’s inability to apply pressure on the quarterback has been a liability and likely will not improve drastically at any point. Also for a man his size the luxury other teams enjoy is that he does not demand double teams. Having said all that keeping Tyson Jackson at the right price would provide wonderful depth in the event Mike DeVito suffers injuries or simply to rotate the two keeping fresh bodies on the field. Ideally the Chiefs add a more impactful lineman that can consistently pressure the quarterback or demand double teams (Authur Jones, RaShade Hageman but that’s another post).

Jon Asamoah struggled and eventually lost his starting job to Geoff Schwartz. Asamoah has good size but lacks the feet and mobility to excel as a guard in Coach Reid’s offensive system. Struggling at pulling then dominating the smaller defenders of the second level makes Asamoah expendable but bringing back the big man is a good idea if the price is right. True competition for Jeff Allen and Geoff Schwartz is better for the team and having a good backup is always necessary. However the money Asamoah would require would more preferably be used else wares.

3.) Players That Should Be Set Free

Kendrick Lewis has taken a lot of deserved criticism and his play has declined in consecutive seasons. Lewis is too slow to play the single high safety and has never regained confidence in his shoulder after the initial injury which has affected his tackling in the worst way.

Akeem Jordan performed admirably this past season however the line backer had to come off the field in obvious passing situations. Finding players that would allow the defense to keep the base defense on the field more should be a priority this offseason. This would allow Defensive Coordinator Bob Sutton to blitz more creatively applying more pressure making the defensive secondary’s job that much easier. Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, and the 49ers are the perfect example the benefits. Nico Johnson is already on the team and is cheaper than resigning Jordan would be. Despite Nico getting very little playing time during the season you may remember he nearly earned the starting job last preseason.

Quintin Demps had a great year looking at the stat book. However three of his four interceptions came against the likes of Matt McGloin, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and an interception plagued Eli Manning. You may think his kick return numbers are enough to merit a new contract but I will give more of that credit to Coach Toub. Demps lacks the football mind to play the single high safety easily fooled out of position by good quarterbacks along with taking bad angles compounded by poor his tackling ability. His veteran minimum would be $720K and he would probably cost even more, his performance can be replaced on special teams and upgraded on defense.

The only reason not to bring back Branden Albert is the money it would cost. He was the best lineman on the team last season and his absence will be felt. I would love to see General Manager work his magic to have Albert on the team next year. Sidebar; if both Geoff Schwartz and Jon Asamoah were to be retained it would likely cost ~$6-8M against next year’s cap, it could be argued that spending that money to bring back Albert would be money more wisely spent (this would require giving Albert a back loaded contract). The offensive line in that scenario could then be Branden Albert(LT), Jeff Allen(LG), Rodney Hudson(C), Donald Stephenson(RG), and Eric Fisher(RT). Assuming Stephenson could slide into the guard spot giving the Chiefs a supremely athletic right side.

Seeing all these players wearing helmets that didn’t have an arrowhead on the side would leave the team with holes undoubtedly. However, in attempt to look for a positive the Chiefs would certainly receive more than one compensatory draft pick in the 2015 draft.

Closing Thought

It will be difficult for the Chiefs to retain many of their own free agents, sign the draft picks, and sign any free agents. However many other teams are in worse shape than the Chiefs and I have faith in General Manager John Dorsey. There are a few things that can be done to create more cap room… but that’s another post.

Let me hear your thoughts and call me a fool if you like. Just never stop bleeding red and gold.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.