The Kansas City Chiefs are trying to keep the band together after their Super Bowl LIV victory. One position that is expected to have some turnover, however, is the linebacker spot. Starter Reggie Ragland and reserve Darron Lee are both scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. Another starter in Damien Wilson has a club option on his contract that could save the Chiefs $3 million in cap space. The Chiefs would like to keep all of these players, but with salary cap restraints, it seems highly unlikely.
With the Chiefs already hard against the cap trying to retain their own free agents, shelling out top dollar in free agency for a replacement doesn’t seem feasible either. As amazing as it would be to add a player like pending free agent LB Cory Littleton, the Chiefs will quickly be priced out of his market.
There will be some options, however, that shouldn’t break the bank for Kansas City and could fill in nicely. Here’s a look at three pending free agents that the Chiefs could add in free agency:
Bengals WLB Nick Vigil
Vigil is a wildly underrated player because he’s been playing for a bad Bengals team on a bad linebacker corp. In 2019, Vigil played 986 defensive snaps which were the most of his career. He amassed 111 tackles, one sack, one interception, five passes defended and one forced fumble. He’ll be a good fit at weakside linebacker because of his coverage ability.
The Chiefs have some options on the roster at the weakside position, namely Dorian O’Daniel, but you need to bring in more competition if you’re Brett Veach. This seems like the type of player that the Chiefs could snag on a short-term deal who could come in, earn the starting job and cash in as a free agent in a year or two.
Saints SAM A.J. Klein
Klein has been one of the most underrated pieces on for the Saints over the past two seasons. During that time he racked up 137 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumbles, three fumbles recoveries, two interceptions and five passes defended. He can do a bit of everything, so it seems.
The 2019 season saw a bit of a down year for Klein as he’s dealt with a nagging knee injury. That could make him a bit more affordable on the open market. He has experience playing at all three linebacker spots in a 4-3 defense, however, in 2019 he played the SAM linebacker spot for the Saints. Don’t doubt that his versatility will make him more appealing for Kansas City.
Seahawks SAM Mychal Kendricks
Kendricks has a myriad of problems that makes him a less-than-ideal candidate for most teams, but a perfect candidate for Kansas City. He’s currently awaiting sentencing for an insider-trading scandal and he tore his ACL in Week 17 of the 2019 season. These should be red flags all the way, but the salary-cap-strapped Chiefs could look to add Kendricks on a prove-it style contract. They have familiarity with the player because Kendricks was drafted by Andy Reid with the Eagles in 2012.
The 29-year-old would be a good replacement option for Reggie Ragland, that is if he can stay healthy and avoid jail time. Kendricks has experience playing the SAM linebacker in a 4-3 under scheme. He also had a standout season in 2019 prior to his injury, recording 71 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, four passes defended and an interception.
