Kansas City Chiefs are being smart about free agency

Kansas City Chiefs fans, we all need to take a collective breath. As defending Super Bowl champs, we are in uncharted territory here.

I know we all started refreshing our feeds as soon as free agency opened up, but the Kansas City Chiefs‘ lack of big moves in the early stages is actually the smartest thing the they can do.

This is now a Super Bowl winning team and that means it is being ran by a Super Bowl winning front office. We should trust Brett Veach and the team’s plan. No longer are the Chiefs the team trying to catch everyone else in the league; Now the rest of the league is trying to catch the Chiefs. The rules have changed a bit, and the Chiefs do not need to make big splash after big splash.

It is true that staying put in the NFL is the equivalent of moving backwards. The rules, the way the games played, and roster construction methods are always evolving, so teams simply can’t afford to be behind the curve.

That being said, go look at the Chiefs roster for the upcoming season right now. It is still jam packed with talent. This offseason, the Patriots have lost Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, and Tom Brady. The Cowboys got picked clean with the losses of Jeff Heath, Byron Jones, Jason Witten, and Randall Cobb. The Texans traded away arguably their best player in DeAndre Hopkins.

The free agents the Chiefs have lost? Kendall Fuller, Stefen Wisniewski, and Emmanuel Ogbah.

Don’t get me wrong, those guys had a measurable impact on the team last year. Ogbah stepped his game up when the Chiefs lost Alex Okafor to injury. Ditto for Wisniewski, who played well in the playoffs for the Chiefs after being added late in the year. Kendall Fuller had a great Super Bowl, sealing it with an interception late in the fourth.

That being said, the Chiefs are returning Okafor and Breeland Speaks should be back to replace Ogbah. Wisniewski was signed late in the year and only played a handful of games, and Fuller was under performing at corner so much that Steve Spagnuolo had to switch him to safety toward the end of the season. These aren’t exactly Tom Brady level free agent losses.

There is one other thing to consider. The three guys listed above that the Chiefs lost in free agency have one thing in common ;None of them were signed in the opening free agency period.

Fuller and Ogbah were a part of trades and Wisniewski was a solid veteran looking for work late in the year. That is the Chiefs model, and how they will continue to be successful.

Brett Veach always trades for talent the closer to training camp it gets. Charvarius Ward, Emmanuel Ogbah, Cameron Erving, and more were all traded to the Chiefs and then there are veterans needing a home later in the year.

There are always surprising cuts, like LeSean McCoy and Terrell Suggs last year. Both were signed by the Chiefs, and both had measurable impacts that helped win multiple games for the team.

The Chiefs are doing their part to keep the band together, as well as stack small signings that could pay of down the road. Signing a veteran tackle like Mike Remmers isn’t exciting, but he is a solid player and will add value if a player like Eric Fisher misses time again.

Remmers has started 78 career games and adds experience to the offensive line. The Chiefs have also re-signed Mike Pennel and Anthony Sherman, fan favorites who make little plays every week that can go unnoticed.

Finally, let’s just take a look at who spent the most money in free agency last year. Of the top seven spenders for the 2019 season, only one team made the playoffs: the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills were a Wild Card team and were handed a first round exit. The other six teams – the Jets, Lions, Cardinals, Raiders, Jaguars and Broncos – had a combined record of 35-59-2 last season. Spending big money in free agency does not always equal wins in the NFL.

The Chiefs have a core nucleus of elite players at their respective positions. Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, Frank Clark, Tyrann Mathieu, Tyreek Hill and Mitchell Schwartz are all among the best at what they do.

Looking past that, the roster is packed with guys who play at a Pro Bowl level, like Sammy Watkins, Eric Fisher, Charvarius Ward, and Harrison Butker. There are even rookies on this team to get excited about, with Juan Thornhill and Mecole Hardman being key young pieces that have a shot at being future All-Pros.

Combine that with the fact the Chiefs are returning almost their entire coaching stuff, and have a first round draft pick for the first time in years, and fans can start to see that this team is poised to run it back and contend for a second straight Lombardi Trophy.

Trust the front office. Trust the coaches. Trust the players the Kansas City Chiefs have now.

Take a page out of the great city of Philadelphia, and just Trust the Process.