It’s April, which means that much of Chiefs Kingdom has turned its attention to the draft in Kansas City later this month. However, one thing we know about Brett Veach is that he doesn’t like going into the draft with gaping holes on the roster.
Right now, the Chiefs have multiple positions that could be considered holes and, while some may end up being filled through trade, there will be at least one veteran that is signed to bolster a position of need. We saw it last year with Carlos Dunlap in the offseason and Brandon Williams during the season. Fast forward to today and there are still some options out there that the Chiefs could explore before the draft kicks off.
Let’s take a look at a few.
Veteran Defensive Linemen
I’m just as excited as the next fan about the Charles Omenihu signing, but I don’t think that automatically ends the Chiefs’ offseason along the defensive line. What it does is offer Brett Veach more flexibility in searching for depth. Omenihu can slide inside situationally if needed, meaning that cheap, veteran edge and interior players should still be on the table. Let’s talk about some players that are still unsigned who fit the bill:
- Jadeveon Clowney: It seems like this guy ends up in Chiefs rumors every offseason. I’m not sure if it’s more fan speculation or genuine interest at this point, but I do think that, at the right price and expectations, Clowney can be a solid addition. When healthy, he would provide similar production to Frank Clark in the regular season, including the solid go elite run defense as well.
- Yannick Ngakoue: Ngakoue comes from a similar speed rush mold as the aforementioned Omenihu, but recent years have seen Ngakoue settle into a situational, pass-rushing specialist. This Chiefs team wouldn’t need anything more from him in a similar vein to what Carlos Dunlap brought last season.
- Poona Ford: A continuously improving defensive tackle, Ford provides elite run stuffing as well as occasional pass rush juice. Pairing him with other versatile players like Chris Jones, Charles Omenihu, and George Karlaftis could create some fun looks for Joe Cullen and this front.
Odell Beckham Jr.
This one couldn’t be more obvious. Wide receiver is the Chiefs’ most glaring need at this point and Beckham is the only potential high-impact player left unsigned at the position. If the Chiefs were to make a move at receiver, I don’t really see another possible option. And even if Beckham is added, considering his recent injury history, I would still expect more additions to the room via draft or trade.
Taylor Lewan
I know Jawaan Taylor was signed to be the left tackle, but we’ve yet to see him do it at the NFL level and, no matter where you pencil him in, there’s a hole on paper at the other tackle position. Lucas Niang is still on the roster and there’s been some talk about him sliding to right tackle, but if the Chiefs truly believed that Niang was the future at that position, they probably wouldn’t have been so openly vocal about wanting Andrew Wylie back. Taylor Lewan represents a cost-effective stop-gap at left tackle that can buy time until the Chiefs can figure out how to proceed at the position.
Outside of Beckham, none of these signings would be a huge splash or garner major headlines, but they all could represent those incremental building blocks to another Super Bowl championship.
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