Kansas City Chiefs Tag Branden Albert, Sign Dwayne Bowe

Dec. 9, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe (82) makes a catch while being defended by Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden (23) in the first quarter at Cleveland Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

As the NFL deadline for placing franchise tags came and passed the Kansas City Chiefs made a flurry of moves. The first of which was placing the franchise tag on Pro Bowl left tackle Branden Albert. That tender, when Albert signs it will bring him a single season salary of $9.38 million.

The two sides have until July to work out a long term contract that my lower his cap impact this year. With Albert’s history of back problems this might not happen. It still is unknown whether the Chiefs are considering Texas A&M OT Luke Joeckel at the #1 pick. After bringing in Alex Smith and tagging Albert, the two top candidates for the #1 spot don’t seem to fit anymore. The other spot they could address with the #1 pick in April’s NFL Draft would be at defensive tackle.

Chiefs GM John Dorsey though has been adamant that keeping Albert wouldn’t deter them from taking Joeckel in April.

The other potential candidate for the franchise tag from the Chiefs was wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, and they signed him to a 5 year deal, freeing up the tag for Albert. The rumored total is around $11 million annually and will keep Bowe with the Chiefs through his 33rd birthday. He must have felt confidence in the Chiefs moves in acquiring Alex Smith along with Andy Reid taking over as coach.

The third, less exciting move the Chiefs made was to sign punter Dustin Colquitt to a 5 year $18.75 million deal with $8.9 million guaranteed. Colquitt is fresh off his first Pro Bowl season.