Chiefs Offseason Wishlist: Part 1- Signing Defensive FAs

Every offseason, a new opportunity of making splash moves awaits for NFL teams. There are certain players that are viewed as top prizes for each organization. Whether you are a perennial Super Bowl contender, or a team looking to start a full scale rebuild off on the right foot, new aspirations arise. There are also possible moves that are more realistic than others. And that is no different for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Entering 2022, the Chiefs are due to make quite a bit of roster changes. Most of those will come via the defensive side of the football. And that is where our focus will shift towards, in today’s first edition of the 2022 offseason wish list series for Kansas City. Chiefs front office members, coaches and even players may have certain players that they would like to see join the squad.

Today, we will list five defensive free agents that we would like to see sign with Kansas City this spring. All of these would be outside additions, as we are not currently focusing on re-signings.

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Von Miller

Outside Linebacker/Defensive End- Los Angeles Rams

Could Von Miller make a return to the AFC West? After years of dominating with another AFC West squad in Denver, the Broncos traded the pass rusher to the Rams in the middle of the 2021 regular season. He helped Los Angeles win Super Bowl LVI and added nine total sacks during his Rams tenure. Four of those were in the postseason, including two in the Super Bowl championship victory. Simply put, it was one of Miller’s hottest stretches in a good couple of years.

Watching that Super Bowl and knowing the defensive changes that lie ahead for the Chiefs, fixing the defensive line and pass rush is going to be at the top of the list for Kansas City. We know how much general manager Brett Veach and his staff, as well as head coach Andy Reid prioritize depth in the trenches. To boot, the Chiefs just need more results and consistency from that pass rush. Period.

There are still so many different ways in which Miller can affect the opposing passer or opposing blockers. He can rush the passer with an inside-out technique, or vice versa, with an outside-in technique. Miller has a litany of pass rush moves as well. He can win with a swim move, a spin move, a bull rush, while also still being able to dip and bend around the edge. Finally, Miller’s length and awareness can affect the passer’s throwing lanes and lead to tipped balls or interceptions.

Emmanuel Ogbah

Defensive End- Miami Dolphins

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Emmanuel Ogbah is yet another player who could possibly return to the AFC West division. But not just returning to the division, he could also return to Kansas City. Ogbah spent one season with the Chiefs in 2019. He was arguably the team’s most impactful pass rusher during most of that regular season. For example, Ogbah recorded 14 pressures, 5.5 sacks, five quarterback knockdowns and four hurries for Kansas City that season.

Unfortunately for Ogbah, he tore his pec midway through that 2019 season, ending his year and dominant stretch. The Chiefs would go on to win Super Bowl LIV a little over two months later. However, this pass rusher was unable to make his presence felt in that once in a lifetime moment. Ogbah left the Chiefs to sign with the Miami Dolphins in the 2020 offseason. Overall, it was the most productive two year stretch of his career.

Ogbah did not miss a single game over the last two years with Miami. In those 34 contests, he recorded 83 total tackles, 75 pressures, 45 quarterback hits, 29 hurries, 18 sacks, 17 pass deflections, 15 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Bringing back Ogbah could instill more reliability and toughness for the Chiefs upfront. If that high level production continues, it is an added bonus.

Patrick Peterson

Cornerback- Minnesota Vikings

Moving to the cornerback position, Kansas City could use more stability and poise. What better way to infuse that into the Chiefs defense, than adding a veteran cornerback? You know what you are getting from a guy like Patrick Peterson. He still does so well at keeping plays in front of him. But at the same time, no catch comes easy when working against him deep down the field. The LSU product still possesses the necessary instincts and smooth footwork to hang against the best receivers that today’s NFL has to offer.

After 10 tremendous years in Arizona, Peterson left the desert to head up to Minnesota last season. His lone campaign with the Vikings was on par with some of his last few seasons with the Cardinals. In 13 games, Peterson registered 45 tackles, five pass deflections, two tackles for loss and one interception returned for a touchdown. His completion percentage allowed when targeted (56.6 percent) and his average depth of target when targeted (8.4 yards) were both the lowest figures of Peterson’s during the last four years.

There has always been this rumored interest between Peterson and the Chiefs. And it still makes sense. A veteran like him will likely not cost too much. He can provide substantial leadership on the backend to other younger Kansas City cornerbacks. Plus, what if the Chiefs are able to re-sign Tyrann Mathieu to an extension? Who’s to say that those two former college teammates and former Arizona Cardinal teammates wouldn’t want to try and reunite on the same defense once again.

Brandon Williams

Defensive Tackle- Baltimore Ravens

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With Jarran Reed and Derrick Nnadi scheduled for free agency, the Chiefs could use a new run stuffing, gap controlling defensive tackle in 2022. Brandon Williams may not blow anyone away at this stage of his career. However, he does the little things consistently on the defensive line. His understanding of reading blocks and deconstructing from them is still one of his better traits. On the other hand, Williams can still muddy up the line of scrimmage and take away running lanes from running backs.

There is also a new wrinkle that could make the longtime Raven a fit with the Chiefs. Kansas City recently hired Joe Cullen as new defensive line coach. Cullen spent five seasons as the Ravens defensive line coach from 2016-20, working with Williams for a fair amount of time.

During those five years with Cullen, the defensive tackle registered 182 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits, six pass deflections, three sacks, two fumble recoveries and one defensive touchdown. That secondary production could pay large dividends for Kansas City’s defense. Once again, this is also another player where you know you are going to receive a great deal of reliability upfront.

Johnathan Hankins

Defensive Tackle- Las Vegas Raiders

Johnathan Hankins may be a bit more unknown, compared to the rest of this group. But for almost all of the last eight years, this defender has been rather consistent with his own production. This includes stints with the Giants, Colts and Raiders. One area where Hankins does his most damage, is against the opposing rushing attack.

From 2014-19, he registered at least four tackles for loss or more in five of those six seasons. That is due to Hankins being stout against opposing blockers. He can dominate and wear down those offensive linemen early on in games. Meanwhile, Hankins is still able to slip off of blocks and hunt down opposing ball carriers rather quickly.

Similar to Williams, Hankins has past ties with part of the Chiefs defensive coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo also held the same role during Hankins’ final two campaigns of his Giants tenure in 2015 and 2016. Hankins has recently spent time in a 3-4 defensive front. However, he still provides experience in a 4-3 defensive front as well. An addition like Hankins could help sustain a meaningful run defense in Kansas City.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.