The Kansas City Chiefs signed OT Jared Gaither on Thursday and the move has been confirmed by the team so he's signed, sealed and delivered.
We don't know much about the signing yet but here are five quick initial thoughts on the move.
We need to know if he's healthy. Gaither missed five games in 2009 and all of the 2010 season with a back injury. The Raiders shied away from him last week, presumably for health problems. The Chiefs signed him so apparently they feel he's healthy enough. This signing may take some time to evaluate as we figure out where he stands health-wise.
We also need to know which position he'll play. Will it be the right side or the left side? If it's the right side, maybe he's competing for a starting job. If it's the left side, what does that say about Branden Albert? Basically the question is whether he's coming in to compete for a starting job or a backup job.
We need to know what kind of contract he received. I don't know the contract numbers but I would guess it's a cheaper, short-term deal. With a guy coming off injury needing to prove himself, that's the best thing to do, in my opinion. He needs motivation to stay in shape and get healthy -- pining for a long-term contract can be that motivation. If we haven't heard his contract numbers being thrown about, it's a good bet they're not very big.
Gaither is the third former Raven signed this offseason. If you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em. If I had to pick three teams to pluck players from, the Ravens would be on that list. Not a bad strategy, Chiefs.
The Raiders wanted to sign him. Last week it was reported that the Raiders agreed to terms with Gaither. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, denied that. The Raiders ultimately didn't sign him. So we took one from the Raiders.