KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs enter the offseason with 24 unrestricted free agents, one restricted free agent and three exclusive-rights free agents.
Overall, the Chiefs have 39 players under contract but must make a decision about those other 28 players to before they hit the open market when the new NFL league year begins in March.
General Manager Brett Veach essentially is entering the second phase of Patrick Mahomes' career and needs to create the framework for a support system for the next five years.
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Here are my thoughts on what the Chiefs should do with those free agents:
2022 Chiefs free-agent projections
Retain these free agents (7) ...
DE Melvin Ingram
This one may take a bit to resolve because there is a chance that Ingram may have enjoyed letting his body rest during OTAs and minicamp last offseason. He might want to sit out that portion of the offseason again before enduring the grind of training camp. Ingram still has pass-rushing production left in a rotational basis.
LT Orlando Brown Jr.
Brown will be one of the top three tackles on a weak tackle market and will likely command $20 million per year. He would find a new team within the first couple of days in free agency, so the Chiefs would be wise to at least place a franchise tag on him and buy time to negotiate a long-term deal or weigh a possible trade offer they couldn’t refuse.
TE Blake Bell
Bell brought a lot to the table as blocking tight end last season. His presence was missed when he spent a year in Dallas. Re-signing Bell should come at a reasonable rate. He is also an asset in the run game.
RB Jerick McKinnon
McKinnon will turn 30 in May and has multiple knee injuries, which probably will prevent teams from investing significant money into him long-term. He is the most-explosive back on the Chiefs' roster and would help provide good rotational balance at the position.
OL Austin Blythe
Blythe is a quality center and is capable of also filling in at guard in a pinch. Luckily, he did not have to see many snaps this season given his purpose on the roster to provide depth, but Kansas City would remain in a good position with respect to depth on the interior with his return.
TE Jody Fortson
Fortson, one of three exclusive-rights free agents, is coming off a ruptured Achilles and may not be fully recovered by the start of this season. He may not even return to form until 2023, but Fortson showed enough promise that patience is warranted.
RB Derrick Gore
Gore, another exclusive-rights free agent, showed promise that is worth developing. He is a good one-cut back with great vision to go with it. Gore has a couple of years left at 28 before team’s quit waiting.
Let these free agents test the market (8) ...
SS Tyrann Mathieu
This is going to be one of the Chiefs' tougher offseason decisions. Mathieu was a big part of helping this team reach the Super Bowl and he's been a steady presence in the community. On the field, Mathieu has been inconsistent the past two seasons, which has led some to wonder if he loses his fire at times.
The Chiefs arguably are the best team and culture Mathieu has been a part of, but the price point will decide how much they can invest in him as a safety. A team like the Baltimore Ravens might be willing to pay $15 million or more per season, but Kansas City may not want to go over $10 million per season with all the other needs on this roster.
The secondary would be impacted with his loss, but this is the kind of tough decision Veach and the Chiefs will have to make during the next five years.
CB Charvarius Ward
Ward probably will get the chance to test the market. He is a solid corner who fits the Chiefs' scheme, but he struggles with getting his head turned around and finding the ball at times. Ward is a solid athlete, but he's not a premiere one who will command significant money on the open market.
WR Byron Pringle
Pringle, a former Kansas State star, has developed into a serviceable receiver and good returner. He had some strong performances in December but then struggled to make his mark in the most important game of the season. Pringle would be a solid fourth or fifth receiver in the Chiefs' scheme, but the team also could upgrade at the spot.
RB Darrel Williams
Williams is entering the prime of his career, so this is the perfect time for him to test the market. The problem for him will that he is a rotational, power running back. He does well between the tackles but lacks the athletic ability to be the feature running back and consistently provide explosive plays.
G Andrew Wylie
Wylie will be valuable on the open market. He is capable of being a serviceable tackle or a starting guard. Wylie excels at both power and zone run blocking. While he occasionally gets beat on the edge at tackle, Wylie holds his own for the most part.
DT Derrick Nnadi
Nnadi is a good one-tech defensive tackle. He is stout in run support but doesn’t provide much as a pass rusher, which will hold him back from getting top dollar on the market. Nnadi could be a good nose tackle in 3-4 scheme as well.
FB Michael Burton
Burton is a strong special teams performance and good run blocker in short-yardage situations. He isn’t going to break the bank, but the only reason he is placed in this category is if the Chiefs want to utilize Noah Gray in a similar role.
CB Deandre Baker
This will be an interesting decision for the Chiefs. Baker, another exclusive-rights free agent, has upside with his athletic ability and now is a year removed from his broken leg. But Baker struggled to get snaps despite injuries in the secondary, so the Chiefs already may know the direction they are headed.
Let these free agents walk (13) ...
DT Jarran Reed
Reed struggled to provide the impact that the Chiefs hoped for in the pass rush, showing why Seattle was willing to part ways with him. Early in the season, Reed essentially had to replace Chris Jones as the three tech and provided minimal push along the interior. Kansas City had to invest in Melvin Ingram before they saw any return.
S Daniel Sorensen
Father Time has caught up with Sorensen athletically. It is no longer there. Unfortunately, retirement is likely around the corner.
WR Demarcus Robinson
Robinson’s peak probably came against the Raiders while they were still in Oakland. He is a solid run-blocking receiver, but that is where his roster value begins and ends. It is time to find a significant upgrade.
LB Ben Niemann
Niemann showed promise in the Chiefs' 3-4 scheme as a rookie under Bob Sutton, but he has never been able to duplicate that success after the switch to a 4-3 scheme under Steve Spagnuolo. Niemann lacks the athletic ability to be a coverage linebacker and is a frequent target of opponents needing a first down.
CB Mike Hughes
Hughes is a great kick- and punt-return specialist, but that is where his value begins and ends at this stage of his career.
DE Alex Okafor
Okafor just provides minimal impact as a pass rusher.
OT Mike Remmers
Remmers has dealt with multiple back injuries in consecutive seasons, which may spell the end of his road in the NFL.
WR Marcus Kemp
Kemp is a good gunner on special teams, but the team can’t keep leaving a roster spot for him solely for that reason. He doesn’t provide enough as a receiver to warrant a position anymore.
S Armani Watts
Watts showed in the Buffalo game why he rarely sees time at safety. He showed promise coming out of the draft as a solid run-support safety who could close quickly, but he's only managed to find significant snaps on special teams in four seasons. Watts looked lost and out of position multiple times against Buffalo.
LB Dorian O’Daniel
O’Daniel is a special-teams starter at this stage in his career. He showed the athletic ability to potentially be utilized in nickel and dime situations, but the snaps just never materialized. Kansas City would benefit from looking elsewhere for developmental depth.
CB Chris Lammons
Lammons, a restricted free agent, is another special-teams starters. He is great as a gunner, but he hasn’t been able to bring a lot to the table as a developmental corner. Lammons might find his way back on the roster, but it probably would be for his special-teams ability at the veteran minimum.
OL Kyle Long
Long was more of an insurance policy for Trey Smith and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. After his leg injury and Smith's rise, that role isn't needed as much. My expectation is that Long goes back into retirement.
QB Chad Henne
Henne has been a big asset in the development of Patrick Mahomes, and he will always have the clutch drive in the Chiefs' Divisional game during the 2020 postseason against the Cleveland Browns, but the team could use a new backup quarterback capable of helping the Chiefs win a couple games and also pushing Mahomes. Henne turns 37 in July, so retirement likely isn’t too far away.
Kansas City has been able to keep most of the roster together during its championship run.
Heading into the next phase of the Mahomes era, the team needs to add more players who are hungry to get to the mountain top and bolster the overall competition on the roster.
