As the Kansas City Chiefs begin organized team activities in the coming weeks, general manager Brett Veach could get a better feel for his roster. That could get the wheels turning about potentially trading some veteran players away. Here’s a look at four veterans that could end up on the trade block for the Chiefs before the offseason is over.
LB Reggie Ragland
Ragland joined the Chiefs in a trade from the Bills in 2017. It cost the Chiefs their fourth-round pick in last month’s draft. The reasoning behind the Bills trading away their former second-round pick was that he didn’t fit their new 4-3 defensive scheme. Fast forward to 2019, and the Chiefs have now switched to a 4-3 defensive scheme.
The Chiefs have stated that Ragland is in the running to be their starting middle linebacker, but it makes little sense in terms of scheme fit. They’ll effectively be trying to put a square peg into a round hole. Perhaps they’re trying to pass it off as a fit to drum up some trade interest from a team that runs a 3-4 defense.
Ragland only has one year remaining on his contract, which makes him the prime candidate for a trade. Ultimately, Ragland may have played his last down in Kansas City with this defensive scheme change.
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S Daniel Sorensen
Traditionally, Steve Spagnuolo has only carried four safeties on his roster. The Chiefs might be wary of that happening with the injuries that they suffered at the position group during the 2018 season. They’ve gone to great lengths to get new players at the top of their safety group, so it could still be an option.
Sorensen is a stud special teams player, and he’s been a good spot starter in the box for the Chiefs, but do we really see the Chiefs keeping him over Armani Watts or Jordan Lucas? If the Chiefs decide to go with four safeties, Sorensen could be the one on his way out. If the team decides to trade Sorensen after June 1, they can save $3.75 million in salary cap space, according to Over the Cap. That’s a nice chunk of change that the Chiefs could use to extend a key player or roll over into the 2020 season.
It’d be a big win for the Chiefs to unload Sorensen in trade, but they’ll have to find a needy team to make it happen.
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LB/DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
Veach has said that he expects Kpassagnon to be a better fit for a 4-3 defensive scheme. That could certainly be true, but it also remains to be seen, as Kpassagnon has done little in his career through two years. There might not be a lot of snaps to spare for him among Frank Clark, Alex Okafor, Breeland Speaks and Emmanuel Ogbah.
Late in the 2018 season Kpsassagnon was a healthy scratch and couldn’t even get on the field to play special teams. It’s hard to deny Kpassagnon’s natural athletic gifts, but he has yet to develop into an NFL-quality football player.
I just wonder at this point if a change isn’t best for both the Chiefs and Kpassagnon. He could be swapped for a player or a late-round pick with a team looking for pass-rush help.
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WR Marcus Kemp
One of the only offensive players that I could see on the trading block for the Chiefs is Kemp. The Chiefs signed three undrafted free agent receivers and one tryout from rookie minicamp. They also have players like Byron Pringle and Davon Grayson who could be looking to step up in their second seasons with Kansas City. It’s going to be an extremely competitive back end of the roster for this position group.
Someone is going to end up being the odd man out for the receiver group, and Kemp has the least value of any veteran receiver. He’s rarely found a way to contribute on offense, with only one reception for 7 yards in his two-year career with the Chiefs.
Kemp brings a big body at 6 feet 4 and a strong special teams presence. He’s the perfect target for a conditional pick or a player-for-player swap.
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