Arrowheadlines: Chiefs’ Sammy Watkins signing all about Patrick Mahomes

The latest

Signing Sammy Watkins is all about helping Patrick Mahomes II succeed | ESPN

"We are excited to give him some tools to work with, and it is going to be a lot of fun next year," Veach said. "You have an innovative head coach and an innovative staff. You have a bunch of weapons, and we are looking to have fun. And this is something for the fans, too. We have the best fans in the NFL, and we want to go out there and put on a show. We want them to be excited and watch the scoreboard light up.

"I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I think the sky's the limit with this, and that's the way we kind of viewed it."

GM: Chiefs tried to acquire Sammy Watkins before Bills traded him to Rams | The Buffalo News

Veach, then the team's co-director of player personnel under GM John Dorsey, said the Chiefs called Bills General Manager Brandon Beane "a lot" to see if they could swing a trade to get Watkins.

Cowboys' pursuit of Sammy Watkins 'makes you think about the future of Dez Bryant' | SportsDay

"Good for Sammy Watkins. For a player that has not lived up to being a top five pick, there are a lot of teams that still believe in him. And I get it. He's an athletic receiver who can make plays at all levels of the field, and it was a little surprising that the Cowboys made such a strong push for a player like that who I'd love to put him on this team, but it really makes you think about the future of Dez Bryant."

Worst free-agency deals: Case Keenum, Jordy Nelson overpriced | NFL.com

The Chiefs believe Hitchens can add some pass-rush ability from the position, but something doesn't add up when Hitchens' contract is in the ballpark of Luke Kuechly's and Bobby Wagner's last deals. Even limiting the comparison to this year's free-agent market, more productive players like Avery Williamson and Zach Brown received vastly inferior contracts.

David Amerson introduced as Chiefs new cornerback | The Kansas City Star

“I think on defense the biggest thing is getting turnovers and getting your hand on the ball,” Amerson said. “That’s what kind of separates somebody that’s just out there (versus) somebody that’s out there really making plays, really getting opportunities and taking advantage of them and changing the game.”

Further asked to describe his game, Amerson stated simply, “Playmaker.”

Does a tight end's pass-blocking impact his fantasy ceiling? | Pro Football Focus

Just to highlight the (albeit still somewhat small) significance, let’s look at Travis Kelce. Last season, Kelce ran 34.1 routes per game and pass-blocked only 1.9 times per game, for a pass-blocking rate of 5.4 percent. He also averaged 0.46 fantasy points per route run. If he pass-blocked an additional 10 percent of the time, it would have cost him 1.7 fantasy points per game.

Report: Colts worked out CB Phillip Gaines | Colts Wire

The Indianapolis Colts have a need to add some cornerback depth this offseason and they reportedly worked out free agent Phillip Gaines on Monday, per Howard Blazer.

Miami Dolphins seeking help at linebacker and defensive tackle | Miami Herald

As of late last week, the Dolphins hadn’t inquired about free agent starters such as Minnesota’s Tom Johnson or Cincinnati’s Pat Sims. Along with Bennie Logan, those five are pretty much the extent of clear-cut starters available at defensive tackle in free agency.

Alex Smith: Redskins QB signs contract extension | Sports Illustrated

Smith will make $40 million this upcoming season, which includes a $27 million signing bonus, according to the report.

The buzz builds around Leighton Vander Esch | KTVB

The 31-year-old gives Washington some insurance at cornerback behind Josh Norman after trading Kendall Fuller to Kansas City in the deal for quarterback Alex Smith. Scandrick will be in the mix with Quinton Dunbar, Fabian Moreau and Josh Holsey for playing time.

Around the league

Broncos reportedly never made offer for Kirk Cousins | NFL.com

That's not to say Elway didn't share Miller's interest in Cousins. Once he realized the price tag would skyrocket out of a comfortable range, though, Elway didn't want to get left holding the bag in a relatively deep quarterback market. As NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport pointed out, the Broncos decided to pivot toward a full pursuit of former Vikings QB Case Keenum when they realized on the Monday night before free agency they wouldn't get Cousins.

Joe Thomas retirement: Browns OT leaves with a great press conference | SB Nation

“In the end, we all know that the reason I retired was because of Robert Griffin III,” Thomas said. “It was definitely his fault.”

Former Dolphins center Mike Pouncey to sign with Chargers | Orlando Sentinel

Former Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, has agreed to contract terms with the Los Angeles Chargers on a reported two-year, $15 million deal with $10 million guaranteed.

Ndamukong Suh is reportedly visiting the Rams, which should terrify NFL offenses | CBS Sports

The Los Angeles Rams have already made a couple big upgrades to their defense this offseason, and if things go well this week, they could make one more. The Rams traded for former Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters in late February, then swung a deal for former Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib just days before the start of free agency. Now, they're hosting former Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh for a free-agent visit.

Colts GM: Free-agent price tags pushed focus to draft | NFL.com

"Look, one of our goals -- we looked in free agency, and we just didn't feel like we were at a point to where we wanted to add some of the guys at the price that they were at," Ballard told the team's official website over the weekend. "And we need to add some young talent to this roster. So the ability to have seven players here in the next two years that are all going to be first- and second-round picks was attractive to us."

At Arrowhead Pride

KC Chiefs free agency winners and losers

TE Demetrius Harris

Sure, it was reported that he spent two days in jail as part of last year’s arrest (The real breaking news is someone got arrested for pot in 2018). The Chiefs had every reason to find another No. 2 tight end in free agency and they didn’t. They could still replace him in the draft or in free agency over the next few weeks, but it looks like he’s coming back until they do that. Winner.

Quit freaking out about the (lack of) defensive free agency signings, please?

I don't want to dwell on the moves that have been made in free agency thus far and how they have impacted the activity of the Chiefs. Nor do I want to get into John Dorsey's cap mess that he left behind. Both of these factors do play a part in why KC has been quieter than most fans wanted and expected the team to be, but may not be the only, or even biggest, reasons.

The Chiefs called about Ryan Jensen

Brett Veach is a mad man.