The Kansas City Chiefs have been relatively quiet throughout the early parts of free agency, but that doesn’t mean they’re not hard at work behind closed doors. They’re expected to sign former Houston Texans S Tyrann Mathieu, but apparently, they had their eyes on another free agent from the Texans.
The Texans released corner Kevin Johnson ahead of the start of the legal tampering period. Johnson was an intriguing prospect coming out of Wake Forest, but his career has been derailed by injuries. He has started only 29 out of a possible 64 games since being selected by the Texans in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft.
As Johnson was cut, he was not subject to the same rules that an unrestricted free agent must follow during the legal tampering period. Over the last several days, he’d taken visits with the Bills and Browns, which were both extensively reported, but Johnson also reportedly took a visit with the Chiefs, according to The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn.
Johnson would have made a mountain of sense to the Chiefs. Signing him wouldn’t count against the compensatory pick formula. Given his extensive injury history, it’s unlikely that Johnson would have received more than a prove-it deal from the Chiefs.
Familiarity with Bills secondary coach John Butler from Johnson’s time with the Texans seems to have played an important factor in his decision. Sometimes you simply can’t compete with connections like that, no matter the situation.
Expect the Chiefs to continue looking at pieces to add to the secondary via free agency.
