With the NFL’s trade deadline approaching and names being floated out from every corner of the league, Kansas City badly needs pass-rush help. And two-time Pro-Bowl defensive end Bradley Chubb of the Miami Dolphins would be a home run option.
At 29 years old, Chubb has played in all six games so far this season and has racked up four sacks, 13 QB hits, and a forced fumble. Checking in at 6’4 and 275 pounds, with 34-inch arms, Chubb possesses an awesome first step get off. While the veteran may not have the versatility of a prototypical edge that Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo prefers, Chubb would primarily be a second and third-down pass rush threat, not a guy who would be relied on to stop the run.
Bradley Chubb Would Be Perfect Addition to Chiefs' Defensive Front
Being a third of the way through the season, Kansas City's front office has enough of a sample size to pinpoint some of the Chiefs' biggest weaknesses. I would argue that getting to the QB quickly and consistently has been Kansas City’s biggest flaw, outside of Chris Jones. Kansas City ranks in the middle of the pack with 14 team sacks, per ESPN, with the majority of them coming from either a quick win by Jones on the inside, where another defender swoops in to clean it up, or an all-out linebacker blitz drawn up by Spags. While those plays are effective when they happen, a good offense will always have answers when you rush more than four, leaving fewer defenders in coverage.
George Karlaftis is near the top of the league in pressures; however, most of those come after two and a half seconds, which is more than enough time for the quarterback to get rid of the ball. Charles Omenihu has been heating up as of late with a sack in two straight games. This has been a necessary development as veteran Mike Danna has done next to nothing this season and always seems to be injured. Rookie Ashton Gillotte is coming along, but relying on a third-round selection to be your second-best edge rusher is not going to be an effective answer to the issue.
Bringing in Chubb would help solve this issue by simply sliding every player down one peg in the rotation and adding another quality player to the mix. While Chubb is fully healthy as of now, he is coming off a gruesome right leg injury last season in which he tore both his ACL and meniscus. Chubb is also on a huge contract where his next two-year cap hits come in at $31 million each.
The Dolphins would most likely be forced to cover at least half of Chubb's remaining contract on their books in a trade, or have the Chiefs rip the contract up, pay Chubb his dead cap money, and let Kansas City negotiate a brand new deal on its own. As Chubb nears his age-30 season, along with the injury issues he dealt with last year, the Chiefs could snag him for a mid-round draft pick.
A Chiefs trade for Bradley Chubb would bolster Kansas City’s defense by improving on its weakness and perhaps be the last piece to vault the Chiefs into once again being the most feared team in the league.