3 Players the Chiefs Should Sign After First Week of Free Agency
By Jovan Alford
2. Isaiah Simmons
The Chiefs saw linebacker Willie Gay sign a one-year deal in free agency with the New Orleans Saints. Despite Gay signing with the Saints, Kansas City is set at all three linebacker spots with Leo Chenal, Nick Bolton, and Tranquill.
However, the Chiefs need more linebacker depth this offseason, and Isaiah Simmons is the perfect fit. The former eighth-overall pick has had a rocky start to his NFL career as Simmons hasn’t lived up to his potential out of Clemson.
The 6-foot-4 linebacker spent three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before being traded to the New York Giants for a 2024 seventh-round pick. In his lone season with the Giants, he had 50 combined tackles, three pass deflections, two tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, and a sack.
The playmaking linebacker/safety has surprisingly gotten overlooked in this year’s free agency class but can be used in pressure situations by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Last season, Gay recorded five quarterback pressures and brought on a blitz 37 times.
Meanwhile, Simmons posted five quarterback pressures and brought on a blitz 54 times under former Giants coordinator Wink Martindale in 2023. The Chiefs could always add a linebacker in the draft, but Simmons is worth a flier to take a chance on.