Kansas City Chiefs: Free agents to target on one-year deals for 2020
By Chris Clark
Tyler Eifert
The Chiefs’ tight end position group could be looking pretty sparse this offseason. Kansas City has the luxury of having the league’s top tight end in Travis Kelce but after that, there isn’t much depth.
Blake Bell is set to become a free agent after signing a one-year deal last year and Deon Yelder is an exclusive rights free agent for 2020. Since neither of these guys have made much of a name for themselves, it wouldn’t be surprising the Chiefs moved on without them.
If they were to move on, it’d be great to see Brett Veach pursue a more exciting name in the process. One of those names could be Cincinnati’s, Tyler Eifert, who was a 2013 first-round pick and ultimately underperformed in his career, mainly because of injuries. It’s unfortunate to see such a talented player be continually plagued with injuries, but thankfully, he ended the 2019 season healthy.
Make no mistake about it, Eifert won’t suddenly become an All-Pro if he were to sign with Kansas City, but he could be a solid contributor at the TE2 spot, given the chance. If he turned out to be a decent upgrade over Bell and Yelder, he’d given Mahomes another weapon to use at key moments. Since Eifert is viewed as an oft-injured player, the Chiefs could potentially get him on the cheap.
While Eifert is no longer considered young, he isn’t necessarily an old tight end either, turning 30 at the start of the 2020 season. He could bring a veteran presence alongside Kelce and buy some time for the team to look down the road at longterm options.
This one might be one of the higher-risk moves, but it could also be a high-reward move as well. Hopefully, the Chiefs will kick the tires on this somewhat forgotten about former first-rounder.