The NFL offseason is going to kick into overdrive in the coming weeks. The NFL Scouting Combine is set to begin on Feb. 27 down in Indianapolis with free agency around the corner in March.
In late April, the NFL Draft will go down as teams seek to find reinforcements to their teams. The Kansas City Chiefs have their hands full this offseason. They have multiple key players slated to hit free agency. Not to mention the retirement questions around Travis Kelce.
ESPN's Aaron Schatz wrote an article projecting bold moves that could happen around the NFL. In that piece, he has the Miami Dolphins signing guard Trey Smith.
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ESPN Suggests Trey Smith Signs With Miami Dolphins
Schatz wrote, "Practically every guard on Miami's roster is a free agent --Robert Jones, Isaiah Wynn and Liam Eichenberg-- so why not upgrade the position with one of this year's best free agents? Smith had an above-average pass block win rate (93.9%), but he really shines in the running game. Smith's run block win rate of 75.1% ranked sixth among interior offensive linemen last season. The Dolphins as a team ranked 26th with a 69.7% run block win rate."
Per Spotrac, Smith's market value is listed at $19.7 million and that price may to rich for the Chiefs. The 2025 cap is set to increase will be around $277.5-$281.5 million, an increase of $22.1M-$26.1M from 2024.
While that is great news for teams around the league, the Chiefs currently have $7.9 million in cap space per Overthecap.com. That number will increase when the salary cap is finalized but regardless, it could be tough for Kansas City to retain Smith.
Ever since becoming a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Smith has developed into one of the best guards in the league. He's a mauler in the run game while being an anchor in pass pro.
This past season, Smith had a 78.8 overall grade (14th among 135 eligible guards) and an 80.8 run-blocking grade (10th among 135 eligible guards) per PFF. In addition, he gave up five QB hits but allowed zero sacks.
Smith is in for a massive payday and many people believe it won't be coming from the Chiefs.