Kansas City Chiefs: Landon Collins should be prime free agent target

The Kansas City Chiefs have plenty of needs on their defense with limited salary cap room. In a perfect world, the one player to target is safety Landon Collins.

In today’s NFL, no position has become more important than safety, especially safeties with versatility. Teams with issues and struggles at the safety position can struggle defending the middle of the field in the passing game while failing to provide adequate support in the run game. The 2018 version of the Kansas City Chiefs defense can best be described as lacking at the safety position at all levels.

Ron Parker was to slow to support either the pass or rush defense, Daniel Sorensen has never been able to provide quality support in either part of the game and is best suited to being a backup and special teams player. Armani Watts was injured for a vast majority of his rookie campaign. Eric Murray is a special teams player and likely cap cut. Jordan Lucas was in and out of the lineup and the issues surrounding Eric Berry‘s season (and his future) have been discussed at nauseum. Safety has proven to be an issue that has hindered the Chiefs ability to stop the opposing offense.

The 2019 NFL free agent class has players that could help the Chiefs defense, and no position could provide immediate support more than at safety. In a passing league, the Chiefs need all the help they can get at the position.

More from KC Kingdom

Enter Giants safety Landon Collins, the top safety on the market.

Collins spent his first four years with the New York Giants after being the 33rd overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft. A three-year player at Alabama before turning pro, Collins just turned 25 last month.

During his four-year pro career, Collins has appeared in three Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro in 2016. At 6’0″ and 220 pounds, Collins has good size and range to play the position. He also came into the league having played for current Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. In short, he’s the type of player the Chiefs should target.

Signing Collins would not come cheap.

Spotrac website projects the value of Collins to be $46.831 million on a five-year contract. That averages out to right at 9.3 million per season. Pro Football Focus rates the safety due to net a contract of even higher value, in the range of five years at 57.5 million, averaging 11.5 per season. That’s a lot of money.

How can the Chiefs afford Collins? Well, in reality and rumors, they can’t.

If the Chiefs franchise tag Dee Ford, his $15.8 million tag will eat up a vast majority of the Chiefs $24.529 million in cap space. Considering the Chiefs would need to carry about $10 million into the season and set aside about $4 million to sign their draft class, tagging Ford is in essence the Chiefs move for free agency. The Chiefs can trade a tagged Dee Ford, which would make a lot of sense, but that’s for a different piece.

Landon Collins is the type of player that can make the rest of the defensive backfield better, especially paired with the second year player Watts and depth of Berry (who likely is back next season in some capacity due to his contract).

Now, with the development of Charvarius Ward and Kendall Fuller (along with a likely fairly high draft pick), the pass defense is significantly better. With the youth of the recent draft classes now playing along the front seven, the Kansas City Chiefs defense really can be stronger.

Next. Running Back Prospects in 2019 NFL Draft. dark

However, if Dee Ford returns, everything mentioned above is moot.

Do you want the Chiefs to sign Landon Collins?

Home/Chiefs Free Agency