Chiefs Named 'Best Fit' For Veteran All-Pro Defender

The Chiefs' roster appears mostly set, though there's still rampant speculation about players Kansas City could add in free agency or trade for ahead of training camp starting on July 21.

One recent proposal claims the Chiefs are among the best fits for free agent CB Stephon Gilmore. A two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler, Gilmore was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 with the Patriots, though he'll turn 34 in September.

Acquiring Gilmore would represent a seismic shift in Brett Veach's typical strategy to target young players in the secondary, but could it work?

Chiefs Named 'Best Fit' For CB Stephon Gilmore

Garrett Podell of CBS Sports thinks Gilmore would be a perfect addition to Kansas City's secondary. He writes, "This late in Gilmore's career, it's clear he will only be looking at teams with a legit shot to be contenders and make a playoff run. The back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs certainly check that box, and they could also use a little more cornerback depth after losing L'Jarius Sneed to the Titans."

The argument the Chiefs could use veteran depth makes sense, though it would depend on what kind of contract Gilmore was looking for.

Podell continues, "Gilmore's championship-winning experience at the position could be a beneficial to a cornerback room without Sneed in Kansas City." I'm fully comfortable entering the year with Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, Nazeeh Johnson, and Chamarri Conner, to say nothing of promising rookie Kamal Hadden.

Signing Gilmore in free agency wouldn't represent the kind of mistake that trading valuable draft capital for someone like Cam Robinson would, though I still don't expect it to happen.

Veach has always targeted youth at cornerback and saftey, repeatedly choosing to let aging players walk. Mike Edwards was the old guard in the secondary last year and he just turned 28! Signing Gilmore would fly in the face of Veach's priorities at the position, so I'd be surprised if the Chiefs are interested.

If Kansas City's young cornerbacks struggle in training camp, perhaps a move for Gilmore would make more sense. For now, I anticipate him signing elsewhere.

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