If you thought Paul Kruger made too much sense for the Kansas City Chiefs then rest assured knowing the Chiefs front office agrees with you. The Chiefs are one of at least two teams that Kruger will visit. ESPN’s Mike Triplett reports he will visit the Saints first and then the Chiefs.
More: Aaron Murray on the trade block?
It’s concerning that he’s going to New Orleans first. If the Saints want him, they’re going to do all they can to keep him in the building.
The Chiefs can offer more than the Saints in two key categories. First, Kansas City is the more established team and is more likely to make a playoff run. If winning matters, Kansas City over New Orleans.
Second and most importantly, the money. The Chiefs have about $3 million in cap space. One of the few teams with less than that is the Saints, who have just $1.3 million, according to the NFLPA cap report. It’s not clear what kind of money would be needed to land Kruger, who played three years of a five-year, $40 million deal in Cleveland.
Kruger would offer pass rush help to a Chiefs team that needs it. Justin Houston is out for some amount of time. Tamba Hali is 33 years old, is coming off knee surgery and didn’t participate in most of camp. After those two, things are murky.
Signing Kruger would be a red flag for Dee Ford, the Chiefs 2014 first round pick. Ford doesn’t appear to have taken the next step that the Chiefs hoped for. You would hope that he would be able to anchor the pass rush for a while. (Update: Others are saying this is more about depth, not Ford. OK, I can buy that. My point still stands)
Another fun fact. Andy Reid is part of the LDS church. So is Paul Kruger. In fact, Kruger went on a two year mission for the Church from 2005-07. It was at a church in Independence, just a few miles from Arrowhead Stadium.