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[oldtimer 8,686]

5 free agents Chiefs should be interested in from Touchdown Wire’s Top 101

Charles Goldman

Tue, February 16, 2021, 10:37 AM

The Kansas City Chiefs will have several players replace during the 2021 free agency period. They have a total of 27 players set to become some type of free agent and many will likely leave.

Our friends Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield from Touchdown Wire recently created a list of the NFL’s top 101 pending free agents. A total of four current Chiefs players were listed. Those four players could be coveted by NFL teams come March, but which players from the list should Brett Veach be interested in if they were to hit the free-agent market?

Here’s a look at five players for the Chiefs from Touchdown Wire’s list:

WR Allen Robinson

 

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

There's not a team in the NFL that shouldn't be interested in Robinson if he makes it to free agency. The Bears still have the option of placing the franchise tag on him, but it's not clear if they would. He's been one of the best receivers in the NFL over the past three seasons, despite abysmal quarterback play and few playmakers around him on offense. The competition could make it exceptionally hard for the Chiefs to sign Robinson, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't try altogether. Kansas City certainly won't have the money to offer Robinson the best deal he'd get on the open market, but they do have something that he wants. https://twitter.com/AllenRobinson/status/1358662002546245633 If Robinson is chasing rings, leverage that into the best possible deal you can get.

OT Russell Okung

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

It could take Chiefs LT Eric Fisher upwards of 11 months to recover from his torn Achilles. Long story short, Kansas City needs to find a veteran left tackle to hold down the fort until Fisher is ready to return. While Okung hasn't played a full season since 2018, he flashed some ability with the Carolina Panthers last year. In 260 pass-blocking snaps, Okung allowed 3 sacks and 10 other pressures per PFF. He'd be a good option to fill in until Fisher is ready to get back out there.

DE Romeo Okwara

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Okwara spent some time with Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo back when he was with the New York Giants. He worked his way up from an undrafted free agent to starting four games for the Giants as a rookie in 2016. Fast forward to 2021 and Okwara is coming off of the best season in his young career, notching 44 total tackles 10 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 18 QB hits and a safety. Given the Chiefs' need for some pass-rush production opposite Frank Clark, Okwara makes a lot of sense for Kansas City. He could perhaps even be signed on a multi-year deal similar to the one they gave Alex Okafor back in 2019.

OT Zach Banner

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Banner hasn't really played much during his career with just over 260 snaps on offense over the past two years. At 6-8, 335 pounds and 27 years old, he's an intriguing prospect. Teams could view him in a variety of different ways at this point. He could still be a developmental guy, he could be a swing tackle, or the bold could even view him as a plug-and-play option. Whatever the case, he'd be fresh blood on the offensive line in Kansas City and the Chiefs need plenty of that.

DE Olivier Vernon

Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Vernon, like Okwara, spent two seasons working under Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo when he was with the New York Giants. He had a pair of his best seasons under Spags in 2016-17 and he had a great season down the stretch for the Cleveland Browns in 2020. The problem is that Vernon is in a similar situation to Chiefs LT Eric Fisher. He ruptured his Achilles late in Week 17 and now faces a long road to recovery. If K.C. is comfortable with the medicals, I could see a player like Vernon being a non-traditional free-agent addition. Maybe he's signed midseason around the trade deadline to provide some juice to the pass rush.

1

[moons314 2,463]

Allen Robinson?  Yes please. Robinson with Hill and Kelce, who are you gonna double?  With a rebuilt line, play 2 deep zone against that trio?  Run the ball.  I really wanted that guy back when he left Jax, and he's still only 27.  

[azchief21 5,278]

3 minutes ago, moons314 said:

Allen Robinson?  Yes please. Robinson with Hill and Kelce, who are you gonna double?  With a rebuilt line, play 2 deep zone against that trio?  Run the ball.  I really wanted that guy back when he left Jax, and he's still only 27.  

100% Agree

[Lamardirts 2,114]

Allen Robinson tops my list unless Taylor Moton OT doesn’t get tagged.   Like y’all said no defense could stop that trio and even if you didn’t invest heavy in the OL in FA with a couple high draft picks the Oline would be miles ahead of last year.....good luck 31 NFL teams. It named KC Chiefs

[KC Warpaint 3,234]

would we be able to afford Robinson? I would rather look at Line help in FA specifically OT.

[Balto 723]

Wow what about Trent Williams OMG haha

[DefensiveMan 758]

Need a 3rd option on offense. Enough is enough I'm for Robinson, Ertz, or trading for OBJ whatever. I'm hoping LDT, Fish, and Niang, and Osemele can come back and reassure the line.

[Palangi 788]

How about instead of spending big money on a 3rd option in the offense we split that money into 2 guys and still spend less. 

Corey Davis- is a free agent was a top 5 pick not long ago.  Isn't the burner we usually get but is 6'3" 210 and could really help in the redzone.  Is very good in the intermediate routes that Watkins did.  Maybe better QB play helps him to reach his potential. 

 

John Ross- here is a serious burner to play with Hill. Has had injury problems.  But could be brought in as a rotational guy,  for less wear and tear on his body.  Him and Hill on the same field could be real scary.   And Mahomes arm. 

 

Less money spent this way.  Robinson is going to get paid.  And both guys are only 26.

 

Hill, Davis, Hardman, Ross, Calloway, Pringle

 

[xen 1,010,220]

John Ross has definitely not lived up to the hype.  Track guy playing football.

[Palangi 788]

Just now, xen said:

John Ross has definitely not lived up to the hype.  Track guy playing football.

That's why he could be cheaper and not even a top 3 WR for us.  But if he figured it out with us,  could you imagine

[xen 1,010,220]

1 hour ago, Palangi said:

That's why he could be cheaper and not even a top 3 WR for us.  But if he figured it out with us,  could you imagine

Sure if he figured it out.  More likely it'd make you guys pine for the Mecole era.  "Remember the good ole days when our receivers only dropped half their passes?"

[Troyofoc 361]

I believe Davis actually turned a corner this last year. I would love to have him but I don't think the titans let him leave.

[Lamardirts 2,114]

Give me the proven stud who has played with terrible qbs for 16 million instead of two overrated guys who will cost us $10 at least for both and haven’t performed with bad qb play.    I would love to address the Oline in FA but outside Moton there aren’t any long term solutions at tackle which is our most glaring need.   I don’t wany to overpay for slightly above avg guards either.   Robinson is the best value unless you can get Moton to play RT for that money and then you grab some hopeful 3rd tier guy.   But there is truth that they might do well with a better qb like Mahomes so if Veach goes this route I’ll trust him.  

[xen 1,010,220]

Allen Robinson would be sick in this offense.  Trade up - DRob out, ARob in.  I'd take that. 

I mean, he'd actually replace Sammy but the names don't rhyme.

[Fmbl2187 2,279]

That would be great, as long as Mahomes has the protection to get the ball to his receivers.  This may sound radical, but the Chiefs need to get the most out of their investment in CEH and get him running and catching more of the short passes.  To do both, we need a decent center more than anything (after picking up a veteran tackle in FA).  Our center(s) absolutely suck.  We haven't had a good one since Mitch Morse. They are the glue of the O-line. With a good center holding up the pocket and making little gaps for the run game, Mahomes might be better off with that than almost anything else.

[reesebobby 5,662]

20 minutes ago, Fmbl2187 said:

That would be great, as long as Mahomes has the protection to get the ball to his receivers.  This may sound radical, but the Chiefs need to get the most out of their investment in CEH and get him running and catching more of the short passes.  To do both, we need a decent center more than anything (after picking up a veteran tackle in FA).  Our center(s) absolutely suck.  We haven't had a good one since Mitch Morse. They are the glue of the O-line. With a good center holding up the pocket and making little gaps for the run game, Mahomes might be better off with that than almost anything else.

All season long, I would have agreed with you that interior Oline was our biggest priority.  Suddenly we have some real questions at tackle though.  Unless they are pretty comfortable with Schwartz and Fisher coming back, I think tackle may have jumped to our number 1 problem. 

[jetlord 10,209]

Both the above posts are correct IMHO.  The interior line was a mess all season, but when Schwartz and then Fisher went down, the game was over  There's little reason to think Schwartz will ever be back and Fisher won't be back for this coming season.  All the talk about a top FA tackle is wishful thinking at this point with the cap issues.  Maybe Veach creates a miracle and finds on O-line starter.  Maybe..  Considering that Fish is expensive and injured, the Chiefs need to think long term for the entire line.  That means drafting, drafting, and drafting.  They must find a starting tackle and hope for Niang to show well.  They must draft a starting OC.  Even with a FA, they need to think long term and draft the future line.  Get guys on rookie deals for four or five years and take the inexperience hits for a while.  Otherwise, we'll see the same patchwork line all across the front that we've seen on the interior.  Sure, I want a #2 WR, but not at the expense of a solid line.  WRs aren't worth much if the QB doesn't get a chance to throw the ball or at least threaten a run.  

[artsy 1,137]

Yea, count me in on the online help too. I think we have enough weapons already to exploit any defense...Hell we've done it! Reid just shit the bed in the SB by not game planning to protect his shitty oline. He blew it!

The Bucs didn't do a damn thing different from any other team...They played 2 deep safetys, did not blitz and kept everything in front of them. Our line couid not hold up for the deep shots and they couldn't block to run the ball. On top of that, Reid didn't even try to make adjustments to get the ball out quickly and protect his young qb or move the ball.

I'd take any FA interior olinemen and draft the best OT available. If you can get a John Ross or Corey Davis for cheap, go for it. But we have to revamp this POS oline. IMO, it's been ignored since Mahomes became the starter.

[Fmbl2187 2,279]

7 hours ago, reesebobby said:

All season long, I would have agreed with you that interior Oline was our biggest priority.  Suddenly we have some real questions at tackle though.  Unless they are pretty comfortable with Schwartz and Fisher coming back, I think tackle may have jumped to our number 1 problem. 

Yes. Absolutely.  We need experienced stopgaps at tackle.  That position is time consuming to train, so a veteran is needed in FA, at least for a year. Fisher won't be ready to help until the following year.  I fear that Schwartz is done.  Those chronic back problems don't go away once they start, not with having to use so much leverage while stooped and turning at the same time. My back is kept from flaring up only by daily exercizes that train me not to lift and turn at the same time. That can't be done playing tackle. We need even a mediocre one in FA.  But a center in the draft with four years starting in college could step right in there.

[jetlord 10,209]

3 hours ago, Fmbl2187 said:

Yes. Absolutely.  We need experienced stopgaps at tackle.  That position is time consuming to train, so a veteran is needed in FA, at least for a year. Fisher won't be ready to help until the following year.  I fear that Schwartz is done.  Those chronic back problems don't go away once they start, not with having to use so much leverage while stooped and turning at the same time. My back is kept from flaring up only by daily exercizes that train me not to lift and turn at the same time. That can't be done playing tackle. We need even a mediocre one in FA.  But a center in the draft with four years starting in college could step right in there.

Haven't researched it, but haven't there been a fair number of rookie OTs that started in their first year?   Here's a guess that there's at least ten OTs in the upcoming draft that could out perform Wylie with only the experience of rookie camp, OTAs, and TC.  There's probably just as many IOL that could out play Reiter after TC.  I've used Morse, Hudson, and Allen as examples.   Experience is paramount, but the bar is low and we're not requiring all pro performances.  Draft 'em.  Play 'em.  Take some holding calls and whiffs for a while.  But at least go for the OLOTF. 

[Lamardirts 2,114]

8 hours ago, artsy said:

Yea, count me in on the online help too. I think we have enough weapons already to exploit any defense...Hell we've done it! Reid just shit the bed in the SB by not game planning to protect his shitty oline. He blew it!

The Bucs didn't do a damn thing different from any other team...They played 2 deep safetys, did not blitz and kept everything in front of them. Our line couid not hold up for the deep shots and they couldn't block to run the ball. On top of that, Reid didn't even try to make adjustments to get the ball out quickly and protect his young qb or move the ball.

I'd take any FA interior olinemen and draft the best OT available. If you can get a John Ross or Corey Davis for cheap, go for it. But we have to revamp this POS oline. IMO, it's been ignored since Mahomes became the starter.

With a good to great Oline, we could have exploited their d by running and utilizing our good rbs in the passing game.   The SB was the perfect storm for the Bucs.  They can talk all the crap they want, they don't any of this team with an above avg Oline.     I still would like to be bold and get and good #2 though which will make it that much harder.

What I don't hope happens is seeing Wylie, Reiter and LDT as our starting interior OL.    Which I have a sick suspicion that we just might.

[Palangi 788]

2 hours ago, jetlord said:

Haven't researched it, but haven't there been a fair number of rookie OTs that started in their first year?   Here's a guess that there's at least ten OTs in the upcoming draft that could out perform Wylie with only the experience of rookie camp, OTAs, and TC.  There's probably just as many IOL that could out play Reiter after TC.  I've used Morse, Hudson, and Allen as examples.   Experience is paramount, but the bar is low and we're not requiring all pro performances.  Draft 'em.  Play 'em.  Take some holding calls and whiffs for a while.  But at least go for the OLOTF. 

It amazes me how comfortable people are with veterans even if they suck. The excitement of getting LDT back is mind blowing.  Seriously.  Dude struggles mightily to pick up stunts. Gets no push in the run game.  And it's beaten often in pass pro.  Yet we are excited because he is a veteran. 

Get some fucking talent up front.  

Outside of Fisher (who is average at best)  and Schwartz on last years line i hope Allegretti and Rankin get shots.  Allegretti needs to move to center where I believe he will flourish even more.  Rankin can fight for LG where he showed to have talent before the injury.  But he is physical and athletic.  Allegretti brings attitude and toughness.  

Start Niang at RT. That's what he was drafted for.  Kid had immense talent.  And should be fully healthy now.  

Draft a LT in round 1 and a RG in round 2 or 3. Get a people mover with attitude at RG. 

Let durant battle with Rankin and the rookie for the guard spots.  Loser is the swing backup.  Let Prince Tega be the swing back up tackle.  Resign Remmers to be the 8th guy that is an emergency.  Bring back Kilgore to back up Allegretti and help teach him.  Let Darryl Williams battle with Kilgore. 

We're not far off.  We just need a few (Reiter, Wylie, LDT) to be gone so they don't tempt the coaches to play them. Draft....

1. Sam Cosmi 6'7" 310 Texas

2. Jackson Carmen 6'5" 340 Clemson

If he isn't available then in round 3

3. Ben Cleveland 6'6" 355 Georgia

[artsy 1,137]

10 hours ago, Palangi said:

It amazes me how comfortable people are with veterans even if they suck. The excitement of getting LDT back is mind blowing.  Seriously.  Dude struggles mightily to pick up stunts. Gets no push in the run game.  And it's beaten often in pass pro.  Yet we are excited because he is a veteran. 

Get some fucking talent up front.  

I agree with you palangi! I don't know what the lovefest is with LDT either. He was below average last year. Everything you said about him is spot on! 

And IMO, you guys are right about the Wylie, Reiter, LDT ensemble..If we roll into the year with those 3 starting we won't make it back to the SB. 

All Reid could say about Wylie, Reiter and Remmers after the SB was that "they battled their tails off out there"...Well they may have "battled their tails off", but that effort was WAAAAY below average! Osemele, Schwartz and even Fisher "battled their tails" off too, but their production and results were quite different...

KC has a generational QB and as long as they protect him with a serviceable oline, we can continue to score points and move the ball. Mahomes is good enough to make mediocre WR's look great. If they wanna get cheap on offense, it shouldn't be the oline. Imo, the oline should be where the money and talent is spent.

We've got Mahomes and CEH; two DYNAMIC weapons... and both were rendered USELESS because we could not block 4 guys. 

[Fmbl2187 2,279]

13 hours ago, jetlord said:

Haven't researched it, but haven't there been a fair number of rookie OTs that started in their first year?   Here's a guess that there's at least ten OTs in the upcoming draft that could out perform Wylie with only the experience of rookie camp, OTAs, and TC.  There's probably just as many IOL that could out play Reiter after TC.  I've used Morse, Hudson, and Allen as examples.   Experience is paramount, but the bar is low and we're not requiring all pro performances.  Draft 'em.  Play 'em.  Take some holding calls and whiffs for a while.  But at least go for the OLOTF. 

I agree, and my knowledge is limited, but I would assume the draftees that played immediately were all four year starters in college.  A four year could step in right away and make the usual mistakes and keep getting better for several years.  Fisher is a perfect example.  Chiefs fans were ready to abandon him after three years, and he was a first pick in the draft. It takes patience, and we have to protect Mahomes.  Any FA vet would be better than what we have now, but this will be a long process to fix that crucial position.

[jetlord 10,209]

32 minutes ago, artsy said:

 

We've got Mahomes and CEH; two DYNAMIC weapons... and both were rendered USELESS because we could not block 4 guys. 

Didn't CEH average over 7 yds/carry in the SB?    Hardly useless except he wasn't used enough