The Kansas City Chiefs are still looking for edge rushers this season, and Cameron Jordan may be interested as if there were a “Help Wanted” sign outside of Arrowhead Stadium.
The former New Orleans Saints pass rusher is currently a free agent, and he could be chasing a Super Bowl ring. With rumors sprouting that he could be a potential solution for Kansas City’s pass rush, Jordan appeared to make his latest pitch, congratulating Travis Kelce on his new contract in a post from his X account.
While Jordan and Kelce did team up for The Truss Levelz Podcast for The Players Tribune in 2020, the message was likely not coincidental as Jordan looks for a new home. But with things heating up, the Chiefs have a pair of paths to manage if they want to get Jordan in the red and gold next season.
Signing Cam Jordan Will Test the Chiefs Patience Ahead of the NFL Draft
Adding Jordan would be a big addition for a defense that ranked 15th with a 23.6 percent pressure rate and 23rd with 35 sacks last season, according to Pro Football Reference. But it also comes with an element of timing that could affect their draft strategy, as well as potential compensatory picks for next year’s draft.
The first option is to sign Jordan before the draft. Adding a player that racked up 10.5 sacks for the Saints last season would lend a boost to Kansas City’s pass rush, and it also wouldn’t lock in the Chiefs to taking an edge rusher with the ninth overall pick in next month’s draft.
This could open the door for Kansas City to take LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane, who is 11th on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board, Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy (No. 15) or Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq (No. 16). But it could also help the Chiefs have the option to trade down if Miami’s Rueben Bain (No. 7) or Texas Tech’s David Bailey (No. 3) aren’t on the board when they’re on the clock.
While that option may relieve some tension heading into the draft, there are benefits to waiting until the draft has passed. The biggest benefit is that if Bain or Bailey is available, they can plug and play them immediately, giving a hands-on element to their development that could bring some upside to the Kansas City defense.
The other benefit involves the Chiefs’ compensatory picks for the 2027 NFL Draft. According to Over The Cap, Kansas City is currently projected to earn a fourth-round pick for the departure of cornerback Jaylen Watson and seventh-round picks for the departures of Marquise Brown and Charles Omenihu. SI’s Zak Gilbert also noted that while the compensatory formula is unknown, the Chiefs would be projected to have nine total picks if they waited to sign Jordan until after the April 27 deadline.
Of course, that runs the risk of Jordan signing with another team or the Chiefs not having the edge rusher they want fall to the ninth overall pick. There is also internal pressure from star defensive tackle Chris Jones to bring Jordan to Kansas City, and some expectation that Jordan could arrive, as ESPN’s Nate Taylor cited a league source saying the Chiefs “are a possible destination” for Jordan.
At this point, it may be more of a question of how long the Chiefs want to wait and how much risk they would be willing to take to bring Jordan aboard.