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Chiefs in Free Agency: B+


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Chiefs fulfilled many of their free-agency goals

3:01 AM

 

  • Adam Teicher

Most significant signing: The Chiefs added Mitchell Schwartz from the Cleveland Browns to solve what has been a long-term problem at right tackle. Five different players have started at least one game for the Chiefs at right tackle over the past three seasons. Schwartz can help with protection from some of the AFC West's top pass rushers coming from the left side of the defense, including Khalil Mack, Von Miller and Melvin Ingram.

 

Most significant loss: The Chiefs will have a difficult time replacing cornerback Sean Smith, who signed with the Oakland Raiders. Smith was as reliable as the other starter cornerback, Marcus Peters, was spectacular. Smith's steady presence on one side of the field made the Chiefs comfortable with Peters' risk-taking. Smith is 6 feet 3 and almost 220 pounds, so he matched up well against bigger, more physical receivers.

 

Player they should have signed or still could sign: Many of the better free agents who were possible replacements for Smith, such as Prince Amukamara and Casey Heyward, have signed with other teams. The Chiefs understandably weren't willing to go where the Raiders did, to $10 million per season, for Smith. But their inability to re-sign Smith or otherwise acquire a replacement could haunt them.

 

What's next: The remaining holes in the Chiefs' roster are in the secondary. They could go a long way toward filling the void at safety by re-signing Husain Abdullah, who is versatile enough to fill many roles and has played well since arriving in Kansas City in 2013. At corner, the Chiefs have Peters and Phillip Gaines, who missed most of last season because of a torn ACL. A move for a corner in free agency or the draft seems imminent.

 

Overall grade: B-plus. Free agency this year for the Chiefs was going to be more about retaining their own than adding players. With the obvious exception of Smith, the Chiefs did a nice job of holding on to their key players by making safety Eric Berry the franchise player and re-signing linebackers Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson and defensive lineman Jaye Howard. The addition of Schwartz could be a good one.

 

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Guest 303Chiefs

Agree. The top priority is CB and OG. The Chiefs should really do their homework on drafting the right CB in the first round.

So we let smith go bc we can rebuild through the draft? Being a fan of the Chiefs just makes me think we will immediately be kicking ourselves for letting him get away right off the bat this next season. Why is it that I feel like we will always be struggling w the cap, will always be building through the draft, and potentially be starting the whole process over again with a new coach and gm doen the road?

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Guest 303Chiefs

Why are you a Chiefs Fan?

 

w

Bc I grew up rooting for them, I love the city of KC and have family there. It's my childhood, but the older generations who are Chiefs fans have just become too complacent about this mediocre franchise.

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Yes, that's a great assessment. 

 

What are you "younger fans" going to do about "this mediocre" franchise situation?

 

How can us Older "Complacent" Fans help you in your quest?

 

Other than bitch and moan on a message board?

 

w

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So we let smith go bc we can rebuild through the draft? Being a fan of the Chiefs just makes me think we will immediately be kicking ourselves for letting him get away right off the bat this next season. Why is it that I feel like we will always be struggling w the cap, will always be building through the draft, and potentially be starting the whole process over again with a new coach and gm doen the road?

So you would bust the cap to give Smith $10million/yr.?  Not that it will happen this year, but I'd rather have Peters and the difference in cost than Smith, especially when it means keeping Howard, DJ, Hali, and picking up Schwartz.

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Guest 303Chiefs

So you would bust the cap to give Smith $10million/yr.? Not that it will happen this year, but I'd rather have Peters and the difference in cost than Smith, especially when it means keeping Howard, DJ, Hali, and picking up Schwartz.

All I'm trying to say is that we are never poised to do much in the grand scheme of things. I don't disagree w the whole ting necessarily, I just am tired of the whole wait and see thing.

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So we let smith go bc we can rebuild through the draft? Being a fan of the Chiefs just makes me think we will immediately be kicking ourselves for letting him get away right off the bat this next season. Why is it that I feel like we will always be struggling w the cap, will always be building through the draft, and potentially be starting the whole process over again with a new coach and gm doen the road?

When was the last time the Chiefs re-signed or attracted free agents at less-than-market contracts? They're a lot closer to being the Patriots than the Browns. They had a great free agency period, even though it was punctuated by the loss of Sean Smith and Ben Grubbs. Your pessimism is unfounded.

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As happy as you might be about the Chiefs' free agency period, what did they need to do to earn an 'A' grade? To me it seems like they had an excellent free agency period, signing several key players to less-than-market contracts. Any grade lower than 'A' seems to derive from the fact that the Chiefs had so many players exposed to free agency in the first place, in which case the Free Agency grades are more about the progress a team makes from 2015 to 2016 rather than their efficacy at making lemonade out of lemons, something teams with a lot of cap room like the Raiders weren't tasked with doing.

 

I'd give them an A+ except for the fact that they are paying Tamba Hali far too much money. That's the one contract that bothers me. Then again, I can't know but that re-signing Hali was the backbone for re-signing Johnson, Howard, and Zombo to the contracts they were signed at. If overpaying Hali bought the respect of the latter three, I guess it was a brilliant move I simply can't measure without being in the organization.

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I have always laughed when I hear a fan say a team overpaid a player. The reason I laugh is because when they overpay for something it's not considered overpaying it's considered paying what the market demands or some other excuse.

 

People talk about their $500k - $1 mill for a 800 to 1000 sqft place in NY City or LA and believe it's a great deal. Or justify paying $50 - $60K for a car/truck because it has a specific bell or whistle. Better yet are those who pay $1000 plus for a fire arm because it is something they MAY need to use SOMEDAY. To me all of that is overpaying.

 

Bottom line, what one person believes is overpaying another looks at it as a good deal.

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People talk about their $500k - $1 mill for a 800 to 1000 sqft place in NY City or LA and believe it's a great deal. Or justify paying $50 - $60K for a car/truck because it has a specific bell or whistle. Better yet are those who pay $1000 plus for a fire arm because it is something they MAY need to use SOMEDAY. To me all of that is overpaying.

I rent a rent-controlled apartment, have never paid more than $25,000 for a vehicle, and don't own a gun.

 

I overpaid for Pokémon and Star Wars CCG cards, and I knew it then, but I bought them with my heart. The fact that I paid for them with discretionary income made it easier to do that.

 

General Managers are paid the big bucks to be heartless and penny-pinching, but they also have to have a pulse on the team. They have to know when to overpay, and to whom. I'm just surprised that John Dorsey selected Tamba Hali in 2016 to be that guy.

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I rent a rent-controlled apartment, have never paid more than $25,000 for a vehicle, and don't own a gun.

 

I overpaid for Pokémon and Star Wars CCG cards, and I knew it then, but I bought them with my heart. The fact that I paid for them with discretionary income made it easier to do that.

 

General Managers are paid the big bucks to be heartless and penny-pinching, but they also have to have a pulse on the team. They have to know when to overpay, and to whom. I'm just surprised that John Dorsey selected Tamba Hali in 2016 to be that guy.

I believe you answered your own question...having a pulse for the team.  This explains it.  It is hard to describe in words what Tamba Hali apparently means to the other players in the locker room, but apparently it is huge.  He is a constant mentor, teacher, cheerleader, comforter and consoler.  He is the guy standing on the sidelines screaming for all the other guys to succeed and welcoming them back to the sidelines.  So....I think you answered your own question.  He means that much to the entire team and the "pulse of the team."  As an added bonus, he is still a great player, if someone is there to spell him.   No, he is not being paid too much.

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I believe you answered your own question...having a pulse for the team.  This explains it.  It is hard to describe in words what Tamba Hali apparently means to the other players in the locker room, but apparently it is huge.  He is a constant mentor, teacher, cheerleader, comforter and consoler.  He is the guy standing on the sidelines screaming for all the other guys to succeed and welcoming them back to the sidelines.  So....I think you answered your own question.  He means that much to the entire team and the "pulse of the team."  As an added bonus, he is still a great player, if someone is there to spell him.   No, he is not being paid too much.

I've never been to a Chiefs game in person, so I've never been able to see Hali be 'that guy'. That is definitely relevant.

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I've never been to a Chiefs game in person, so I've never been able to see Hali be 'that guy'. That is definitely relevant.

You can see it on the sidelines during the game, especially in that last playoff game where he was rooting and supporting til the very end. Man he also tipped that last pass from Brady which unfortunately fell into the hands of Edelman instead of a Chief's player.

 

Also, he had a good season. No he didn't get the numbers in sacks but he's still a force in the run D and made key plays when needed, like in the game versus Buffalo when Houston went out with an injury, Tamba came through and beat the tackle and forced a fumble at a key moment. That's a true leader for you, stepping up for the team when down

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Not that I doubt that Hali is the "First guy in, last guy out," but I can imagine all the hard workers stepping onto the field in unison and waiting to leave all together. And then some asshole jumping back in or not taking the step out while the rest did, in trust that it would be in unison. The reason I say this is because of the clichéd use of this all over the sports world amongst teammates of the same team.

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It is not common to see that on other teams like it is with the Chiefs.  Many guys in it only for themselves and their next contract.  Although Hali was picked by a prior regime, Dorsey goes to all lengths to interview a prospect's coaches, friends, family, teachers, etc. to determine their true character, and it is a major part of his process and consideration. He talks about that a lot, and it is mentioned in stories.  That's another reason why I think so many of our early round picks have been a surprise...but look at the results. You can't go 1-5 and then win the next 10 games without a bunch of guys with this kind of character and mentality.  They seem to really play for each other. When they don't, they are not there for long.

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