Why the Chiefs should pursue trading for one more pass rusher

By deciding to trade cornerback L’Jarius Sneed this offseason while also not spending a ton of money in free agency, the Kansas City Chiefs have an interesting opportunity to add to their roster during the season. As things stand currently, the Chiefs have $15.5 million in cap space — something most teams in the position of the Chiefs don’t have before the season.

In addition, the Chiefs currently have an extra third-round pick from the Titans for the Sneed trade (alongside two seventh-round picks) as extra draft capital they could use in a trade. By the trade deadline, the Chiefs are in a great position to add to this roster. If they struggle to replace Sneed immediately, they could look to add a wide receiver, running back depth or potentially even a cornerback.

However, as I look at the roster today, I think the Chiefs have a sneaky need for another pass rusher. Chris Jones is still a superstar, and George Karlaftis and Mike Danna have been great role players, but the Chiefs' lack of depth and some injury concerns leave me slightly worried about the pass rush.

Here’s the case for the Chiefs using that extra draft capital and cap space to bolster their pass rush:

Having a strong four-man rush

Over the past two years, the Chiefs have built a very good defensive line. Over the past two seasons, the Chiefs have been second in sacks in both seasons with 55 and 57. At the end of the 2021 season, the Chiefs' pass rush was an issue for the team, but general manager Brett Veach has done a very good job building the pass rush back up over the past two seasons.

While the Chiefs are a heavy blitzing defense, their four-man rush is the primary reason for this increase in sacks. Jones has been the sun in the solar system for two seasons, but Veach did an excellent job filling in the pass rush with good role players.

In 2022, the Chiefs had four good defensive ends that complimented Jones: Frank Clark, Carlos Dunlap, Karlaftis and Danna. They could rotate their defensive ends to keep fresh, and each served different roles for the defense. Clark and Dunlap were the speed rushers, using their explosiveness to stride around the arc and keep quarterbacks in the pocket. Karlaftis served as their best power rusher, using a bullrush and heavy hands to push the pocket. Danna was best as a slippery interior pass rusher, which helped if Jones made a quarterback step up into a tighter pocket. The Chiefs played with good pass-rush integrity and were able to affect all launch points in the pocket.

In 2023, the Chiefs went from having four good defensive ends to three, but they still served their roles in the front. Karlaftis was able to expand his game to be able to win around the corner more and have a diverse skill set. Danna had his best year rushing from the edge, winning with length and technique. Charles Omenihu came in and gave the Chiefs a tremendous inside-out option. He could line up next to Jones and crush the interior with his length but also step out to the defensive end and win. When Omenihu, Danna, and Karlaftis were all on the field with Jones, the Chiefs had a dominant front four.

Now, the options are dwindling. Omenihu is thought to be out for at least the back half of the season, and given the history of ACL injuries, it’s hard to know whether he’ll be the same player without a training camp or much ramp-up time to the playoffs. Outside of that, the Chiefs do have 2023 first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah on the roster, but he hasn’t proven anything to be trusted to step into a bigger role. Currently, the Chiefs only have three proven pass rushers, which might make it hard to replicate their 2022 or 2023 pass rushes.

Lack of pass rush depth

Even if Anudike-Uzomah pops, the depth is alarming. With B.J. Thompson being on the Active/NFI list and Omenihu on the PUP list, the other defensive end options are Malik Herring and Truman Jones — neither with any ample pass rush experience.

At defensive tackle, outside of Wharton — who’s already coming off a down year — the Chiefs only have nose tackles on the roster. Nobody else besides Jones is a capable pass rusher in that room.

The defensive line is a position where you need depth. The more bodies you have, the easier it is to keep guys fresh. As of right now, the lack of depth means the Chiefs either will struggle to rush the passer often or overburden their top guys, which isn’t ideal throughout the season. On top of that, any injury to their top guys has a sizeable cascading effect on the rest of the pass rush.

Trade options

As of today, it’s hard to project trade options, but here are two candidates for a trade for the Chiefs:

• Haason Reddick, Jets
• Azeez Ojulari, Giants

Reddick requested a trade this week with the Jets denying it. If that situation resolves, he won’t be traded, but if things get weird, the Jets could look to offload the negotiations onto another team. If Reddick is available, getting him to play for the three-time Super Bowl champions shouldn't be a hard sell. His speed and explosiveness would give the Chiefs an element nobody else in their pass-rush rotation has.

Ojulari was a favorite of mine in the 2021 draft, and in his rookie year, he produced very well. In his rookie season, Ojulari had 42 pressures and 10 sacks. Injuries have limited his playing time and productivity since then, and with the Giants trading for Brian Burns alongside having Kayvon Thibodeaux, the Giants could offload Ojulari on the last year of his deal. I’m still a believer in Ojulari, and it would be a smart buy-low on the 24-year-old.

The bottom line

Some of the Chiefs' cap space could be used for signing bonuses in any extension for players like Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith or Nick Bolton, but the Chiefs have a good opportunity to add to this roster without sacrificing much of their future. They have a few different needs, but I think the best use of their assets would be to add to their pass rush.

Nobody has ever complained about having enough pass rushers. Knowing the quarterbacks the Chiefs need to beat to win the Super Bowl, I would use the extra draft capital and cap space to pursue one more pass rusher that can make a difference in the playoffs.