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The first few days of the 2014 NFL free agency period will tell us a lot about what the Kansas City Chiefs do in the 2014 NFL Draft. They could sign a safety in free agency, which would eliminate the immediate need for a safety in the NFL Draft. They could re-sign Tyson Jackson, which would allow them to plug another hole and keep a starter.
One of the most interesting scenarios entering free agency lies on the offensive line. Starting guard Geoff Schwartz and (end-of-season) back-up Jon Asamoah are both free agents.
If the Chiefs lose both of those players in free agency, guard moves near to the top of the list in terms of team needs for the 2014 season. Reserve lineman Rishaw Johnson is on the roster as is Rok Watkns, but both have little experience.
That's the problem the Chiefs find themselves in right now. They really do need to keep either Schwartz or Asamoah. If they don't, they'll need to either A.) spend money on a new starting guard in free agency B.) use a high draft pick on a guard or C.) roll with the young guys already on the roster.
The popular opinion among most fans is for the team to re-sign Schwartz, who is among the top-rated offensive linemen available in free agency. That ranking means he's going to be pricey and the Chiefs will have to figure out where the line is on how much money they want to spend on him.
Asamoah is viewed as a solid pass blocker, which makes sense in Andy Reid's offense, while Schwartz made a big mark as a run blocker last season. Of course, both are capable at run and pass blocking as evidenced by Pro Football Focus's grades.
If Schwartz doesn't work out, the Chiefs should make an attempt to re-sign Asamoah. In fact, if they have an idea that one of those two is going to hit free agency next Tuesday, they should do everything in their power to re-sign the other before free agency starts. I'm not sure what the answer is here because I don't know the competing price tags for each. But the Chiefs would really do themselves a solid by hanging onto at least one of them.