Tag: charvarius ward

What could a blockbuster Saints-Chiefs trade for Terron Armstead look like?

The New Orleans Saints need cheap talent, and the Kansas City Chiefs need a left tackle. What would a trade for Terron Armstead look like?

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So here’s a fun exercise. The Kansas City Chiefs felt this year’s painful salary cap crunch and released both of their starting offensive tackles, Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, putting them in a real bind. It makes sense for them to turn over every stone in search of better protection after Patrick Mahomes was overwhelmed by the Buccaneers pass rush in Super Bowl LV, which brings them to the New Orleans Saints.

Well, it brings Chiefs Wire’s Charles Goldman to my inbox. Charles and I teamed up for mock trade talks to see what it would take to make both sides happy, and whether we could reach a deal at all. Here’s how it played out:

Charles Goldman: Would the Saints ever trade Terron Armstead in a cap-clearing move? I know he’d free about $11.6 million in cap space if he were traded and only has one year left on his deal?

John Sigler: I don’t think that has legs. He’s a cornerstone player for New Orleans and a big selling point to any free agent quarterbacks they’re looking at. They’re only about $12 to $15 million over the salary cap right now, and he could sign an extension soon to reduce his $16 million cap figure and remain with the team.

If he were moved, it would take a return comparable to the Laremy Tunsil trade, which brought in multiple draft picks and a couple of role players. It’s not like the Trent Williams situation where the player was holding out and demanding a trade, though Armstead’s age and injury history better compare to Williams than Tunsil.

CG: Do you think they would take a player on their rookie deal in return too? Maybe someone like WR Mecole Hardman? Could be a good replacement for WR Emmanuel Sanders.

JS: Yeah I could see it. Their projected No. 2 wide receiver, Tre’Quan Smith, is entering a contract year and never been a consistent receiving threat. Hardman would be a nice addition along with a high draft pick or two. He’s an ascendant player who’s just 23 (happy birthday to him, by the way) with 4.33 speed, and he’s still improving after playing quarterback and corner before switching positions a few years ago. Make me an offer.

CG: Let’s consult one of those nifty trade value charts. You would get our Round 2 Pick No. 63, our Round 4 Pick No. 144, and WR Mecole Hardman in exchange for LT Terron Armstead and a future Round 5 pick.

JS: Multiple picks are enticing but I need a first rounder to justify moving Armstead. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro quality left tackle. We are so close to reaching cap compliance that we don’t have to move him if we don’t want to. No. 31 has to be on the table.

Additionally, we have more receivers under contract than almost any other position. Hardman would be a nice upgrade but it’s not as critical a hole to fill as, say, cornerback. L’Jarius Snead made a great impression in his game against us and his overall tape is solid for a rookie. We need a new corner after cutting Janoris Jenkins.

So here’s a counter offer: we get Round 1 Pick 31, WR Mecole Hardman, and CB L’Jarius Snead in exchange for LT Terron Armstead and a future Round 5 pick.

CG: Sneed is untouchable for now. But I think we could offer pick No. 31. I see you just released DT Malcolm Brown. We’ve got a surplus of DT talent. How about this for a counteroffer: Round Pick 31, Round 4 Pick 144, and DT Khalen Saunders for LT Terron Armstead and a future 5th round pick.

JS: Saunders is interesting but we have several young defensive tackles we like to help replace Brown. We really need a corner in this deal worse than an interior lineman. What about Charvarius Ward? He’s worked with our new secondary coach Kris Richard in Dallas; Richard probably helped recruit him as an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee. Let’s get them back together.

And let’s not take Hardman off the table so quickly. In my mind, we’re swapping that 2022 fifth rounder for him. Giving up a pick along with Armstead for just another pick and a player isn’t tenable. We’re totally fine with extending his contract and not making a move at all.

So how’s this: Round 1 Pick 31, CB Charvarius Ward, plus WR Mecole Hardman for LT Terron Armstead and a 2022 Round 5 pick.

CG: If you can bump the future pick to a fourth rounder, we’ve got a deal. With Charvarius Ward, he’s a restricted free agent — we could do a sign-and-trade or tender him and trade him and let you handle the details.

JS: Let’s make it conditional based on playing time. If Armstead plays 75% or more of offensive snaps in 2021, it becomes a fourth rounder. If he doesn’t meet that threshold, it remains a fifth rounder.

And let’s tender Ward at the lowest level ($2.133 million) to facilitate the trade. He’ll have an opportunity to earn a long-term extension starting opposite Marshon Lattimore, who we also hope to extend in the days ahead.

CG: Groovy.

JS: Good doing business with you.

So let’s review the deal, what the Saints lost, and what they’ve gotten out of it.

Trading Armstead in the final year of his contract yields $6,612,500 in salary cap savings but opens a huge hole in the offensive line. The immediate replacement plan is to shift Ryan Ramczyk back to left tackle, where he played in college at Wisconsin (which is timely, because he’s due a long-term contract extension this year or next). Right tackles are undervalued and the Saints should be able to find a good one with one of their first-round picks.

I would have liked to get more draft picks out of this but given the Saints’ struggles to find high-impact players lately, well, I’d rather take more proven quantities in Ward and Hardman. Additionally, Armstead has only played 80% and 88% of snaps the last two years; he’s only met that 75% conditional threshold once before, back in 2015. There’s a good chance we keep our fourth rounder next year, but even if it’s lost we still have the fifth round pick.

As for the players: we added speed, youth, and most importantly affordable talent at two positions of need. Hardman is under contract through 2022. He also leads the NFL in touchdown catches of 20-plus yards out of the slot since 2019, and ranks second-best in the league in yards gained after the catch per reception (8.8) in that span. He’s a cost-effective, big-play threat every time he touches the ball, which is what the Saints need at receiver.

I wanted someone with a lighter injury history and a longer contract than Ward, but he’s a good fit. He flirted with Pro Bowl status in 2019 but missed time in 2020 with a fractured hand. Still, he’ll have started in 38 of his 51 NFL game appearances (including 8 playoff games and two Super Bowls) before his 25th birthday. He’s got plenty of pro experience and is in a great spot to cash in next summer while replacing Jackrabbit Jenkins. Reuniting him with Richard could pay off in a big way.

So what do you think? Was the view worth the climb here? The Saints may have plugged some holes on their roster while creating a new one, but it might take creative (and sometimes difficult) solutions like this to compete again in 2021. There’s a ton of uncertainty surrounding the post-Drew Brees era, and it’s anyone’s guess where the Saints might be a year from now.

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Anthony Hitchens one of 3 former Cowboys seeking 2nd straight Chiefs title

Three former Cowboys are attempting to win back-to-back championships with the Chiefs. Hear what Anthony Hitchens had to say about Dallas.

The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV, and that means three former Dallas defenders have yet another chance to reach the sports pinnacle.

Linebackers Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson, along with cornerback Charvarius Ward, all began their careers with the Cowboys, and all three are thriving after a change of scenery landed them in Kansas City.

Hitchens was the most memorable Cowboy of the bunch, as he was an integral part of the Dallas defense for his first four seasons. A prospect from Iowa, the Cowboys selected Hitchens in the fourth round in 2014.  He spoke fondly of his old team this week during Super Bowl media sessions, stating the following.

“Every path I took shaped me to who I am today. There’s no knock on Dallas or anything like that. My four years there were amazing. I had an amazing coach, coach “Flus” (Matt Eberflus) coached me, and pushed me to limits I never thought I could reach.”

Hitchens would elaborate on his influences from his time in Dallas,

“I learned how to go beyond my limits because of how we (Dallas) practiced out there. It shaped me. I had great leadership. I had Sean Lee next to me, teaching me the ropes. A lot of young guys don’t get that. So there were a lot of things that shaped me into who I am today.”

Despite it being the beginning of his career, a lot was asked of Hitchens from the moment he stepped in Dallas. The former Hawkeye started 11 games a rookie for the Cowboys, and would go on to start 48 of the teams’ 64 games during his time with the club.

Hitchens hit the open market as the Cowboys had their guys at the position with Jaylon Smith, Sean Lee, and Leighton Vander Esch, but the Cowboys would have likely kept Hitchens had they predicted the injury problems that would plague the three backers they kept.

In his first season away from Dallas, Hitchens led the Chiefs in tackles, and the team was just a play away from making the Super Bowl. The next two seasons Kansas City reached the Super Bowl, and Hitchens would finish second in tackles on the team both years.

After playing beside Hitchens in Dallas, Wilson joined Hitchens in Kansas City in 2019, and immediately showed he was capable of a larger role than the Cowboys ever gave him. Wilson finished third in tackles on the Chiefs each of the last two seasons, and both he and Hitchens started every game that they were available.

Ward was less known as a Cowboy than Wilson and Hitchens, but just like the other two, he has found his niche with the new club. Ward was undrafted in 2018, but signed a three-year deal with Dallas. Just before the season began, the Cowboys traded Ward to the Chiefs in exchange for guard Parker Ehinger.

Three years later, and Ward has developed into a solid starting cornerback on an extremely cheap deal for the Chiefs, something the Cowboys could greatly use given their current roster circumstances. Ehinger retired due to injuries.

These former Cowboys take the field this weekend and attempt to help the Chiefs become just the eighth team to win back-to-back NFL Championships.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury updates following Week 14 vs. Dolphins

Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid had two injury updates for reporters following the game.

The Kansas City Chiefs seem to have escaped their Week 14 win over the Miami Dolphins with limited injuries.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid gave his usual injury update ahead of his postgame press conference. He had information on two injuries suffered during the course of the game, starting off with RT Mike Remmers.

“Mike Remmers didn’t finish,” Reid said. “He hurt his back and then came out.”

Reid didn’t have much more of an update than that for Remmers’ injury. He was ruled questionable to return with a back injury late in the game. Hopefully, it’s something minor and they were just being cautious with it. The player that Remmers is filling in for, Mitchell Schwartz, is currently on injured reserve with a back injury.

Kansas City was down to their third right tackle in this game, technically their fourth when you consider that rookie OT Lucas Niang opted out of the season. Yasir Durant filled in admirably, but also looked like an undrafted rookie at times. He surrendered a key sack on a third down in the fourth quarter which kept the game within distance for Miami.

Next up, Charvarius Ward had left the game due to the NFL’s concussion protocols. It seems like an NFL spotter was the reason for him being pulled from the game.

“Then, Charvarius Ward was cleared for his head,” Reid said. “He was checked for that and he was OK.”

Ward was in the concussion protocol according to the Chiefs’ official Twitter account and he passed it with flying colors. He didn’t appear to return to the game, probably because the secondary was in a bit of a groove late in the game there.

“Other than that, I’m glad to get the win and get out of here,” Reid said.

I think fans can empathize with the coach on that one. Thankfully, both injuries seem to be minor. As always, check back on Monday and Wednesday for potential updates on these two players and any new injuries that might pop up later.

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Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward explains his ‘slump’ and how he got out of it

Ward says his “slump” is behind him and explained what it took to get out of it.

Kansas City Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward is looking to make the most of the final seven games of the 2020 NFL regular-season. Ward had some lofty goals for himself entering his second year as a starter. Those goals were quickly stifled when the corner broke his hand in the season opener against the Houston Texans. He wouldn’t play again until Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens, but he struggled in his return. Ward discussed those struggles with the Kansas City media on Wednesday.

“I was playing with a cast on, so I couldn’t really use my left hand how I was supposed to,” Ward told reporters. “That hurt me a lot. It hurt me more mentally than anything. I was still out there trying to give my all, help the team, be out there for my teammates. The coaches believed in me. I believe in myself as well. It hurt me a little bit but now I feel like I’m going to bounce back real strong these last couple of games.”

After the Chiefs’ Week 8 win against the New York Jets, Ward tweeted, “I’m in a slump….. I gotta come up out of it.”

It’s not something that you would expect to hear from a player after the team won big. Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo said that he didn’t feel that Ward was in a “slump.” It’s clear that Ward had set a standard for himself that he felt he wasn’t meeting.

“I’m always holding myself [accountable], I just want to be the best player that I know I can be,” Ward said. “I’m just going to continue to try to improve and get better and be one of the best corners in the league by the end of the season. These last seven games, I’ve got to come out strong and be at my best.”

Ward believed that the slump was a combination of his physical ability to press and get his hands on opponents impacting his mental state. While his fracture still isn’t fully healed, he’s no longer wearing the cast and he’s not in pain. That has led to a confident level of play from Ward, but even approaching the Week 10 bye, he wasn’t happy with his performance. During the bye week, he worked to improve his technique.

“I just stayed active all throughout the bye week, working on my feet, working on my press technique,” Ward said. “I was really just working on my technique and my game all throughout the bye week. Hopefully, I’ll be better these next seven games. I know I will.”

As for the slump, Ward is confident that it’s in the past. He feels that he’s physically healthy and mentally prepared for the challenges that await him in the next seven games. For now, he’s looking ahead to an exciting divisional rivalry game against the Raiders in Week 11.

“I’m already out of the slump, man,” Ward said. “The slump is over with. I’m already out of the slump. We love playing the Raiders. It’s a divisional game, it’s a rivalry game. They got us the last time so now we’re just going to come out of this game and be at our best. Hopefully, we get our rematch and do what we’re supposed to do.”

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4 Chiefs players to watch in Week 6 vs. Bills

Keep an eye on these four players as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Buffalo Bills.

As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face the Buffalo Bills in their third Monday night game of the season, each player faces the challenge of preparing for a tough AFC conference opponent. The Bills have a history of playing the Chiefs tough and lead the overall series 26-21-1.

Kansas City will hope for a couple of big performances from several of their players in order to come away with a win on the road in Week 6. Here are four Chiefs players, including one player from each phase of the game, to keep an eye on this Sunday:

Chiefs C Austin Reiter dealing with sore knee ahead of Week 2 practices

A new addition to the injury report for Kansas City and an update on an existing injury from Andy Reid.

The Kansas City Chiefs won’t be practicing until Wednesday, but head coach Andy Reid came in on Monday to speak with the media briefly. During Reid’s press conference he provided an injury update. He spoke on a new addition to the injury report first.

“Really the only injuries we have, well, we have a couple,” Reid began. “You know a couple of them and they’re making progress. Austin Reiter has a little bit of a sore knee, he’s working through that. You know we’ll just see how that goes for tomorrow.”

Reiter’s injury is new, but it doesn’t sound too serious compared to some of the other injuries that the Chiefs are dealing with. If Reiter couldn’t play in Week 2, replacing him would be veteran Daniel Kilgore, according to the Chiefs’ Week 1 depth chart. Kilgore was a late addition in training camp and hasn’t had much practice with the team. If he had to play it could limit some things the Chiefs are able to do on offense, thankfully they’ll likely have some repetitions to get him coached up and practicing with Patrick Mahome this week.

Reid also had an update on CB Charvarius Ward, who left Thursday’s game with a hand injury. NFL Network later reported that Ward would have surgery on his hand, but would have a chance to play. Andy Reid wouldn’t commit to Ward missing any time or playing in Week 2.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Reid said. “He had some work done on it and we’ll just see where he’s at by game time. We’ll see — we’ve just got to see how it feels.”

This one could go either way, it all just depends on how the injury heals and how Ward feels heading into the game. I wouldn’t expect him to practice much this week and if he does it’ll be in a limited capacity, with the chance of a full practice later in the week.

Reid didn’t provide any updates on Khalen Saunders who suffered a dislocated elbow and Alex Okafor who tweaked his hamstring in Thursday’s win over the Texans. You can monitor the injury status of Reiter, Ward, Saunders and Okafor right here on Chiefs Wire with our daily injury reports beginning Wednesday this week.

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Report: Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward to have surgery on fractured hand

Ward could still play against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2.

The news came down last night that Kansas City Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward had exited the game with a hand injury and wouldn’t return. Andy Reid would later confirm that Ward had fractured his hand. It looks like that fracture will ultimately require surgery.

According to a new report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Ward is slated to have surgery to repair the fracture in his hand. Typically, surgery is bad news for the likelihood of any player and their ability to play. There is certainly a chance that Ward could play with a cast or club on his hand during Week 2, but it will be up to Ward and the Chiefs’ training staff to make that determination. Rapoport does note that the Chiefs have a longer turnaround time with three extra days to prepare for the Los Angeles Chargers.

This is reminiscent of Kendall Fuller’s thumb injuries in 2018 and 2019. In 2018 he was back in action very quickly while wearing a cast after having surgery on his thumb and wrist area. In 2019, he had surgery on the same thumb and missed several weeks during the middle of the season before returning for the Super Bowl push.

Ward could be pressed into playing action given how thin the Chiefs are at the corner position with the suspension to Bashaud Breeland. The good news is that rookie L’Jarius Sneed was exceptional in his debut, so the team shouldn’t feel like they need to rush Ward back into action if he’s not ready to go.

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Chiefs injury updates following Week 1 vs. Texans

Some good and bad injury news following the game for the Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a wave of injuries on the defensive side of the ball during Thursday’s season-opening win over the Houston Texans. Following the game, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid updated media members on the injuries and their severity.

Khalen Saunders, who left the game early with an elbow injury, dislocated his elbow. Andy Reid described the injury as “clean.” He said that there was no accompanying ligament damage, which means there is a quicker turnaround on the injury. It’s not great news, but Reid said it’s “better than the alternative.”

Alex Okafor, who was ruled out with a hamstring injury, is dealing with what Andy Reid described as a slight hamstring strain. That shouldn’t be a big deal for Kansas City, but Okafor has been dinged up in the past.

Finally, Chiefs starting left cornerback Charvarius Ward seems to have the most serious injury. He left the game with a hand injury and the team confirmed he suffered a fractured hand. Depending on what type of fracture he could possibly play with a club on his hand. It’s also possible that he might need surgery and could be out a few weeks. It’s worth noting that injured reserve is a possibility with an injury like that. Players can be on injured reserve for three weeks before being brought back for the 2020 season.

It’s a tough break for Ward, literally and figuratively speaking. He had offseason LASIK surgery and was looking forward to intercepting more passes in 2020. A hand injury could set him back on that goal.

Two of the injured players are already talking about how great their comebacks are going to be.

Let’s hope they get back to action sooner rather than later.

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Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward ruled out with hand injury

Another player ruled out for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kansas City Chiefs defenders are dropping like flies.

After injures to DT Khalen Saunders and DE Alex Okafor, now the secondary has fallen victim to the dreaded injury bug. The team announced that third-year CB Charvarius Ward has been ruled out with a hand injury. Ward is the starting left cornerback for Kansas City.

The Chiefs were already short on experienced cornerbacks with Bashaud Breeland being suspended for four games. Now the most experienced cornerback is second-year CB Rashad Fenton, who is one of the two starters on the field. The other starter, L’Jarius Sneed is a rookie, playing in his first NFL game.

Sneed has already proven that he belongs as a starter, intercepting a Deshaun Watson pass early in the fourth quarter, returning it for 39 yards and setting the Chiefs up in plus-territory.

Meanwhile, Breeland, who is watching that game at home while under suspension, tweeted out in support of the injured Ward. He also encouraged the young players in the secondary.

He’s not wrong, the young players are holding it down so far. Let’s see if they can keep it up for the remainder of the night.

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Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward lands on Touchdown Wire’s All-Breakout team

Ward is due to breakout during the 2020 season according to Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar.

Kansas City Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward had a miniature breakout season in 2019, his first season as a starter. He’ll have more attention than ever before as a starter in 2020, with counterpart Bashaud Breeland suspended for the first four games to start the season. Ward will be asked to step up and shut down the best receivers on every team.

Our friend Doug Farrar at Touchdown Wire believes that Ward is capable of accomplishing that. In a recent article naming defensive breakout candidates for the 2020 season, Farrar identified Ward as someone on the Chiefs’ defense due for a breakout. Here’s what he had to say about Ward:

“In late August of 2018, the Cowboys traded Ward, an undrafted rookie out of Middle Tennessee State, for offensive lineman Parker Ehinger. Ehinger never played a snap for Dallas before moving on to Baltimore in 2019, where he played 54 snaps in 2019. Meanwhile, Ward found a rotational role in Bob Sutton’s underwhelming Chiefs defense in 2018 before finding religion under Steve Spagnuolo in 2019. Last season, Ward allowed just 48 catches on 100 targets for 796 yards, 249 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 73.6. A long, angular, feisty defender, Ward had a couple of rocky games last season, but was on point for the most part, and he’s a developing cornerback with “island” potential.”

One thing that Farrar fails to mention in his analysis, Ward can finally see and not in a metaphorical sense either. Ward had offseason LASIK surgery following Super Bowl LIV. He previously experienced both far-sightedness and near-sightedness. He had headaches and occasionally went cross-eyed. To say it was problematic and impacted his game might be an understatement, but he refused to use that as an excuse. But now his vision is as close to perfect as it has ever been.

“I finally can see,” Ward told Kansas City Star reporter Sam Mellinger in July. “First time being able to really see good.”

Now that Ward has the eyesight to complement his natural abilities his reaction time might improve. He might be able to turn a few of those 10 passes defended from the 2019 season into interceptions. His goal as he told Mellinger is to “intercept everything.”

He has the ability and opportunity to turn 2020 into his best season yet, he just has to go out there and get it done.

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