The Kansas City Chiefs Should Trade for Fletcher Cox

Fans tuned in from all over the world to watch the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals play for the NFL’s ultimate prize, the Lombardi trophy. People who watched the game in its entirety witnessed the importance of having an elite pass rush. Aaron Donald, Greg Gains, Von Miller, A’Shawn Robinson, and Leonard Floyd ferociously applied pressure on a weak Bengals offensive line. The team combined for seven sacks in the Super Bowl.

The Kansas City Chiefs are missing this piece, this entity to their defense. Aaron Donald is a wrecking crew, but he did not get seven sacks alone it was a defensive onslaught from the entire front. Seeing this throughout the NFL season, I have concluded that the Chiefs should trade for defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.

Fletcher Cox Has a Connection to the Kansas City Chiefs

The Philadelphia Eagles used their 12th pick in 2012 to draft 6’4″, 310 lbs Fletcher Cox out of Mississippi State. The head coach at that time was Andy Reid. According to spotrac.com, on June 13th, 2016, the Eagles re-signed Cox to a six-year, $103 million contract extension.

In ten years with the Eagles, Cox has earned six Pro Bowls, one All-Pro, and was a part of the Eagle’s Super Bowl victory. He has played in 156 games logging 443 combined tackles, 78 TFL, 142 QB hits, 14 forced fumbles, and 12 fumble recoveries. In 2020 he had 41 combined tackles with only two missed tackles (4.7%), and in 2021 he had a combined 35 tackles with only two missed tackles (5.4%).

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The Chiefs would be adding Cox to the interior of their defensive line paired with another Bulldog, Chris Jones. This trade would be a massive addition to a defensive line that lacked pass-rushing ability. Both Chris Jones and Fletcher Cox offer the ability to sack the quarterback from the defensive tackle position. Of course, this is figurative but imagine this trade and then resigning Melvin Ingram.

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Cox’s Contract Could Be a Deciding Factor for the Kansas City Chiefs

Cox’s contract is complicated as he has restructured his deal to help Philly with the salary cap. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com breaks down his contract in a 25-minute video. A question Chiefs’ fans might have is what would it take to acquire Cox? According to Jimmy Kempski from PhillyVoice.com, he expects a day three pick. The Kansas City Chiefs currently have eight draft picks.

Cox would provide a boost to the interior of the defensive line and pair with Chris Jones is a scary thought. This trade would allow the Chiefs to address other needs within the roster and give Andy Reid a familiar face. I also think Cox might get a rejuvenation with a change of scenery by being traded to a team that has gone to four consecutive AFC championships, two of the last three Super Bowls.