KC Chiefs: Matt Judon would be an excellent addition to the defense

The KC Chiefs should pursue veteran pass rusher Matt Judon to help shore up their defense.

The start of NFL free agency is just a few short weeks away. Teams will be scrambling to build their rosters on a lower budget, so player movements will be very interesting to watch. With many teams strapped for cash — like the Kansas City Chiefs, for instance — will talented veterans take less money in order to simply find a spot on a roster?

If so, one of those players could be veteran pass rusher Matt Judon.

With the Chiefs having some spots to fill along the defensive line, adding Judon would definitely help in making the defense better in 2021. There’s no doubt that Brett Veach will be working to improve the offensive line, but he also has other positions to work on this offseason. The start of free agency will reveal that the Chiefs have a fairly empty cupboard at edge rusher. If he can’t add talent there, the defense as a whole will suffer.

Judon entered the league as a fifth-round draft pick of Baltimore in 2016. That seems to have been a pretty good pick by Baltimore as the 6’3″, 261-pound edge rusher received Pro Bowl nods in each of the last two seasons. Now, Judon enters free agency as a fairly sought-after talent. Unfortunately, for him, he enters free agency at a bad time because of the inability of most teams to pay top dollar this offseason.

According to one report, Judon is looking to get paid, and rightfully so. Most players only have a limited window of time to make big money before their career begins to wind down. Since he’ll be turning 29 years old just before the season starts, there’s no doubt he’ll want to get paid what he’s worth. But with the limits of the salary cap this offseason, it’s possible that he could take a different route.

Matt Judon would be an instant upgrade opposite Frank Clark on the KC Chiefs’ defensive line.

With these current limitations, Judon could be lured into taking a cheaper, one-year deal in order to find success and make his case to get paid in 2022. The Chiefs are currently well over the projected cap floor, but still have time to rework current contracts or make cuts in order to free up some money.

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They may not be able to give Judon his big payday, but they can offer him a shot at a Super Bowl win and get a little more notoriety. After being regularly beaten by the Chiefs over the last three seasons, there’s no doubt that he knows what this Chiefs team is capable of.

Kansas City could be even more capable with the addition of his talent. Averaging nearly seven sacks a season doesn’t make him the most revered player at the position, but his presence would still add a lot of value to the Chiefs’ defense. And playing opposite Frank Clark offers the potential for his sack numbers to increase. The combination of Clark and Judon would be a force to be reckoned with for any NFL offense.

Judon also comes from a quality defense in Baltimore and could bring veteran leadership to the locker room as well as the playing field. Signing him likely wouldn’t be a long-term solution, but would buy Kansas City a year’s worth of time to work on the next generation of players at the position.

This scenario could be a win for both him and Kansas City. If the KC Chiefs can get the financials to work, pursuing Matt Judon in free agency should be a top priority.