KC Chiefs: Way too early look at defensive free agents after 2019
By Chris Clark
Defensive Back
The defensive improvements in the secondary have been a welcomed change for Chiefs fans.
In 2019, the Chiefs have moved into the top half of the league in passing defense. Kansas City’s plan to bring in a few free agents on one-year deals and to place some trust in their younger corners appears to be paying off. Veteran talents like Bashaud Breeland and Morris Claiborne were brought in on one-year deals to buy the team sometime before addressing the position long-term.
At the same time, younger guys like second-year man Charvarius Ward and sixth round rookie Rashad Fenton have been afforded some time to prove their worth. Even with Kendall Fuller missing time because of an injury, it didn’t seem to keep the secondary from making strides towards improving.
The safety help from Tyrann Mathieu and rookie Juan Thornhill certainly have helped as this unit has started to gel down the stretch. While the secondary appears to be on the rise as the season goes along, the Chiefs will have to take a hard look at what the cornerback group looks like heading into 2020.
One free agent that Kansas City should look at is the Cowboy’s, Byron Jones.
Jones is a 2015 first-round pick that could become an unrestricted free agent in 2020. Over five seasons he has started 71 out of 77 games, with most of the non-starts coming from his rookie season. His consistency with starts would bode well for any team looking for reliability. The biggest downside to Jones might be that he’ll be looking for a bigger payday as he heads towards the second half of his career.
He may not find big money in Dallas with the amount of talent there and who will need to be extended in 2020. Could this be the issue in Kansas City as well since they’ll be looking to ink Chris Jones and Patrick Mahomes for the long haul?
It might just be what could hold this deal up, but the Chiefs should still do there homework. Locking down a talented cornerback like Jones would give the team the option to sign or re-sign a few one-year guys and then build through the draft.
So, who might those one-year guys be?
The Chiefs have begun to build some chemistry with Breeland and Claiborne and may have the chance to bring them back into the fold. 2020 free agents like Minnesota’s Trae Waynes or Philidelphia’s Ronald Darby haven’t performed the best as of late but may help to bridge the gap for next year. These are also players that, if they perform well, could become longer-term help at the position.
Over the last four to five seasons, this seems to be a position group that has constantly been in flux. If Kansas City wants to make the most of an offense with a lot of firepower by creating a defense to match, this position needs to be stabilized.
Adding a solid free agent like Byron Jones and then building through the draft would help in bringing stability. It’ll be interesting to see how Kansas City pursues improving the position post-2019.