Could Kansas City Chiefs Still Make Late Free Agent Moves?

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There is not much time remaining for NFL teams to make roster moves before the start of the 2022 season. Certainly, some serviceable names still remain available in free agency. Veterans who could provide competent results may still be worth taking a shot on. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs could still be interested in making some late free agent moves.

The defensive line remains one of their top areas of concern as training camp nears. Most recently, pass rusher Melvin Ingram signed with the Miami Dolphins late last weekend. This is notable for Kansas City for a couple of reasons. First off, the Chiefs placed the rarely used unrestricted free agent tender on Ingram not long ago. That meant that if he remained unsigned past July 22, he could then only sign with the Chiefs for the 2022 season on a $4.4 million salary on a one-year deal. Because he did indeed sign elsewhere before that deadline, Kansas City will now receive a compensatory pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

This spurns the question on if the Chiefs have a secondary plan in place at defensive end. While it was not guaranteed that he would remain with Kansas City, it was a bit surprising to see Ingram go elsewhere. He is not perfect by any means at this point in his career. Yet, he lit a spark in Kansas City’s pass rush last year after coming to the Chiefs via a trade from the Steelers.

It would not be surprising to see the Chiefs decide to let their young pass rushers earn their stripes with extra reps. However, Kansas City has never shied away from adding premiere veteran talent under this current regime. Gaining any possible advantage is always at the forefront went sorting out the roster. As a result, here are five defensive linemen that could be of interest to Kansas City, if they make a late free agent move after the Ingram decision.

Jadeveon Clowney

The injuries have obviously been the major point for teams to deal with when it comes to this player. For the last few years, we have seen the same old song and dance surrounding Jadeveon Clowney. He usually signs on with a contending team that looks for him to play a somewhat prominent role. Additionally, he has received pretty fair contracts on late one-year deals.

In Kansas City, there is no doubt that Clowney would probably receive a similar role to what he recently got with the Cleveland Browns and the Tennessee Titans. He has done better when being surrounded by a dominant running mate. Surely, that top name like a JJ Watt does not exist with the Chiefs, like Clowney had with the Houston Texans. Nevertheless, his ability to provide first step explosiveness and power could pair well with the other pass rushers on the Chiefs defense.

Akiem Hicks

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Akiem Hicks is also another older defender who has recently dealt with nagging injuries. For instance, he played in just 29 of a possible 49 games over the last three seasons with the Chicago Bears. Hicks provides a unique skill set, however. He can play either defensive tackle or defensive end.

In Kansas City, the vast blitz packages of Steve Spagnuolo could allow him to play from multiple spots on the defensive line. Meanwhile, Hicks can create a source of production against both the run and the pass. Perhaps, he may have to take a rotational role if he were to sign with the Chiefs, something he is not necessarily used to. Hicks and Kansas City could benefit from the designated usage that he could see in a distinctive role in various situations.

Larry Ogunjobi

Larry Ogunjobi originally agreed to a hefty contract with the Bears at the beginning of free agency. Yet, a failed physical nullified that agreement. He suffered a foot injury late last season with the Cincinnati Bengals. But outside of that, Ogunjobi has been a consistently productive player while with Cincinnati and Cleveland.

Compared to the first two names on this list, Ogunjobi is a bit younger and should have plenty left in the tank. What could he provide if he were to join the Chiefs defense? The defensive tackle has a lot of tools at his disposal. Most of all, his instincts and hand usage at the point of attack are extremely calculated. He is able to push the pocket as an interior pass rusher. Overall, Ogunjobi could help Kansas City by wearing multiple hats upfront alongside Chris Jones.

Eddie Goldman

Eddie Goldman may not turn as many heads, compared to other names in this group. Essentially, he is more of a run defending presence at defensive tackle. The Chiefs have someone similar to that already in Derrick Nnadi. At the same time, Kansas City should not hesitate in adding as much strength as they can find to the defensive line.

Goldman may have an extremely specific or assigned role with the Chiefs. His greatest success comes as a true nose tackle, to boot. Thus, Kansas City may have to greatly temper expectations if they were to add Goldman. Relying on his power and density may be his greatest benefit to the Chiefs.

Trey Flowers

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Trey Flowers began his career with the New England Patriots, where he will mostly be remembered for a dominant finish in the 2018 season and into that postseason in January 2019. He parlayed that into a massive five-year contract signing worth $90 million with the Detroit Lions. He obviously never lived up to that deal in Detroit, though expectations were likely initially too bold to begin with. The Lions released him after three years earlier this offseason.

There are going to be some people who are automatically against anything involving Flowers. Just based on that tenure in Detroit, some teams may have no desire in giving him a test run. Kansas City should not be one of those teams, in my opinion. Production aside, Flowers falls under that physical, long-armed prototype that Spagnuolo gravitates toward. The Chiefs have already added plenty of physically dominant defenders this offseason. Why not take a shot on another one?

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.