Kansas City Chiefs: Bold predictions for the 2019 offseason
By Chris Clark
A Surprise Trade – Continued
Last October, the Chiefs expressed interest in trading for New York Giants safety Landon Collins. This was likely the case because the Chiefs were short-handed at the position with injuries to Eric Berry, Daniel Sorensen, and rookie Armani Watts. Even though the Chiefs expressed interest, the Giants were the ones to shut down the possibility of a trade at that time.
The Chiefs may still be looking to upgrade the position with the uncertainty that still looms over Berry’s heal injury. Outside of Berry, the Chiefs don’t have a highly talented player at the position and Collins could make that happen. Collins may have ended 2018 on injured reserve, but he previously put together three healthy and productive seasons, unlike Ford.
The Giants may still not be looking to trade Collins, but could the allure of trading for a talented edge rusher change their minds? The Giants could get a solid veteran off the edge and the Chiefs could get a hammer at safety, especially one that is familiar with the Chiefs’ new defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo.
Collins has already said that the Giants can rebuild without him and he played under Spagnuolo for the first three years of his career. Could a reunion be in order? It could be in order and the Chiefs could save money in the process.
Talented edge rushers usually command a premium price while safeties are a little easier on the salary cap. Collins is also nearly three years younger than Ford, only benefitting a young and talented Chiefs team for more years to come. The Chiefs could replace Ford in a draft flush with edge rushers or swing for potentially cheaper free agent Shane Ray to help fill the void.
It would be unfortunate to see the Chiefs trade a player that they’ve invested five years into, but the risk of overspending on an aging and injury prone player shouldn’t be taken. With the current defensive overhaul in place, this would be a good time to make this happen. The first bold prediction is to trade Dee Ford for Landon Collins.