The Kansas City Chiefs had arguably the best crop of their own free agents hitting the open market this off season, but they stepped up and aggressively attacked free agency early.
It did not start out very well for the Kansas City Chiefs. Early in free agency, they lost offensive linemen Jeff Allen and Donald Stephenson to the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos respectively, backup quarterback Chase Daniel to the Philadelphia Eagles and safety Tyvon Branch to the Arizona Cardinals. However, the Chiefs rebounded quickly.
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The losses of Allen and Stephenson were quickly replaced with the signing of right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who is one of the best at his position in the entire NFL. With strong run blocking skills and fantastic pass protection ability, Schwartz will immediately be a massive upgrade for the Chiefs at right tackle.
After landing Schwartz, Kansas City took care of their own. Locking up defensive lineman Jaye Howard on a steal of a two-year, $10 million contract. Howard was expected to get much more on the open market. The Chiefs will still likely suffer some losses on the defensive line this off season, but getting the 27-year-old Howard back gets them the best of the bunch.
The Chiefs were also able to re-sign important veterans in OLB Tamba Hali and ILB Derrick Johnson. Both players are past their prime years, but they both are still important pieces in the Chiefs’ defense. Getting both Hali and Johnson back in Kansas City this off season was important for the Chiefs.
The toughest loss the Chiefs suffered yet came overnight, as the Oakland Raiders came to an agreement with cornerback Sean Smith. The Chiefs never seemed to be a likely return destination for Smith, but I am sure they would have liked to see him go outside of the division.
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Smith heading to the up-and-coming Raiders is a blow to the Chiefs. That being said, they should be able to replace his production on the field. Smith is a fantastic player, but Chiefs CB Marcus Peters was NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2015. They may not be able to find someone as good as Smith to play opposite of Peters, but I have faith in the Chiefs’ ability to get themselves a solid performer.
Moving forward, re-signing DE Mike DeVito, WR Jason Avant and FS Husain Abdullah is probably at the top of the Chiefs’ to-do list. However, I could also see the team looking outside of the organization to fill some holes they have already lost in free agency.
Finding an offensive lineman who can play both guard and tackle is important after losing Stephenson and Allen. The addition of Schwartz certainly upgrades the Chiefs’ starting offensive line, but they lost some legitimate depth guys on day one of free agency. Also, finding a starting caliber cornerback to pair with Peters jumps towards the top of the needs list.
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That being said, the Chiefs have all off season (including the 2016 NFL Draft) to address these needs. They have done an incredible job of protecting their own assets and adding to their mix early in free agency. No matter what happens the rest of the way, the Kansas City Chiefs will enter 2016 as legitimate contenders in the AFC.