Tag: free agent outlook

Will pending free agent RT Andrew Wylie be back with the Chiefs in 2023?

Our free agent outlook series continues with #Chiefs RT Andrew Wylie, whose season culminated in the defining performance of his career to date.

The Kansas City Chiefs head into the 2023 NFL offseason with some big decisions to make in free agency. Fresh off of Super Bowl LVII, they have plenty of key contributors who are set to become unrestricted free agents. One of the positions where their biggest decisions will come is offensive tackle.

Orlando Brown Jr. is the player who will most dictate how the offseason goes for Kansas City, but a decision on Andrew Wylie also looms large. Wylie re-signed with the Chiefs last year on a one-year fully-guaranteed deal worth $2.5 million before going on to start all 20 combined regular-season and postseason games in the 2022-2023 season.

Wylie’s performance was up-and-down all season after going through a gauntlet of the league’s best pass rushers, but that prepared him for his defining moment. In the biggest game of the season, Wylie held Philadelphia Eagles OLB Haason Reddick to just a single pressure and no sacks.

When you consider Wylie’s history with the team, that fact is all the more impressive. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Michigan in 2017, making stops with three NFL teams before finding his home in Kansas City. He’s done what the Chiefs have asked of him every step of the way during his career making starts at left guard, right guard and right tackle. His performance in Super Bowl LV, in what was just his second career start at right tackle, was sub-par. But Wylie didn’t give up. He kept growing and learning the position just as K.C. asked him to do.

So will Wylie be back in Kansas City again in 2023?

As things stand right now, the Chiefs only have two players under contract who can play tackle and one of those players’ future is likely at guard. The team is expected to franchise tag Orlando Brown Jr. as they work toward a long-term contract extension. But Andy Reid said in his end-of-season press conference that Brett Veach would make a “strong attempt” to retain both Brown Jr. and Wylie.

Over The Cap projects Wylie’s valuation at a ballpark amount of around $7.3 million per year on average. Will the Chiefs be able to be competitive in his market in free agency? That remains to be seen. It’ll be hard to pay both tackles on long-term deals this year and go on to retain key interior offensive linemen who have contracts coming down the line.

The front office does have a lot to weigh in re-signing Wylie. Firstly, we saw the continuity in having all the same starters on the offensive line for the past two seasons. That could again become important for Kansas City in 2023. Secondly, Wylie is the definition of a homegrown player and exactly the type of guy that you want to re-sign based on that fact alone. It’ll send a message to the team that if you’re a team player and do your job, good things will happen. That’s the right message to send to a championship team that will be relying on pieces ranging from first-round picks to undrafted free agents to keep their window open for the foreseeable future.

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Will pending free agent OL Andrew Wylie be back with the Chiefs in 2022?

Andrew Wylie proved to be a serviceable option at right tackle for the #Chiefs in 2021 and that could pave the way for his return in 2022.

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The Kansas City Chiefs are out to improve their roster during the course of the 2022 NFL offseason, making additions on offense, defense and special teams. They’ll also look to retain some of their own players, with 24 slated for unrestricted free agency in a few short weeks. One player who was extremely valuable for Kansas City in 2021 was fifth-year offensive lineman Andrew Wylie.

An undrafted free agent out of Eastern Michigan in 2017, Wylie made stops with three NFL teams before finding his home with the Chiefs at the end of the 2017 NFL season. He’s since gone on to start games at left guard, right guard and most recently right tackle for Kansas City.

While Lucas Niang started nine games at right tackle for the Chiefs early in the season, Wylie filled in for him twice due to injuries, starting a total of 10 games if you include the playoffs. He replaced Niang in Week 9 and started the next four consecutive games for Kansas City. He’d fill in for Niang again in Week 16 due to COVID-19. Wylie would continue to play in place of Niang in Week 17 after the 2020 opt-out suffered a season-ending patellar tendon rupture.

Wylie’s performance this season was much-improved compared to his Super Bowl LV performance at the right tackle position. He faced some notable pass-rushers, like his former Eastern Michigan teammate Maxx Crosby, and limited their success on the right side of the line. According to Pro Football Focus, Wylie allowed just four sacks and 29 pressures on 527 snaps played at right tackle. He also finished the season with the fourth-highest run-block grade among Chiefs offensive linemen, including a better grade than Orlando Brown Jr. did at left tackle.

Wylie was the Chiefs’ top earner in performance-based pay in 2020 and he’ll likely be up there again in 2021. He was a restricted free agent last offseason and received an original round tender, earning $2.133M during the 2021 NFL season. This time around, he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent.

The free agent market isn’t flush with offensive line talent, but I tend to believe that Wylie’s best option will be to remain in Kansas City. Niang’s injury puts him out of the equation until mid-season at the earliest, which means Wylie could have the fast track to starting at right tackle again. Prince Tega Wanogho and Roderick Johnson are the only two players at the tackle position currently under contract besides Niang.

There’s little doubt that Wylie’s ability to plug in at three different positions makes him the team’s most valuable backup lineman. If the Chiefs don’t re-sign Wylie they’ll need to find a right tackle in free agency or the draft, and that might not be so easy. It also creates another hole for Brett Veach and the staff to fill, which feels like bad business.

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Will pending free agent CB Mike Hughes be back with the Chiefs in 2022?

The #Chiefs had shown interest in Mike Hughes long before they traded for him. Will they decide to bring him back in 2022?

The Kansas City Chiefs will look to improve their roster during the 2022 NFL offseason and one area that is expected to see some turnover is the defensive secondary. Three cornerbacks who played at least 200 defensive snaps for the Chiefs in 2021 are pending free agents for the upcoming season. One of those cornerbacks was a May trade acquisition by Kansas City.

The Chiefs acquired Mike Hughes (and a seventh-round pick) from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a sixth-round pick. He was a player that had been on the team’s radar dating back to the 2018 NFL draft when he was just a prospect at UCF. They attended the UCF pro day and brought him in for a top-30 visit.

Hughes was admittedly a bit of a reclamation project when the team acquired him. Injuries had stunted his development with a torn ACL hampering his 2019 season and a neck injury causing him to play just four games in 2020. The Chiefs got a chance to see what Hughes was capable of in 2021, but he wasn’t consistent throughout the course of the season

Hughes appeared in 17 games with five starts for Kansas City, playing over 500 defensive snaps (the 14th most of any Chiefs defender this season). He started off Week 1 with a bang, securing the game-winning interception over the Cleveland Browns. Hughes would continue playing a rotational role on defense until he earned his first start in Week 4.

Beginning in Week 7, Hughes’ role began to shift in Kansas City. The cornerback group was healthier than it had been and Hughes took a back seat on defense. He was challenged facing some bigger wide receivers at times.  By December, his role began to shift toward special teams, replacing Mecole Hardman as the team’s starting punt returner. That didn’t last for long, though.

Hughes started four consecutive games on defense beginning in Week 13. In Week 14, he stepped in for CB L’Jarius Sneed and had the game of his life against the Las Vegas Raiders. He recovered a fumble for a 23-yard touchdown and forced two fumbles of his own in addition to leading the team with nine tackles. The performance earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

There’s certainly an argument to be made that Hughes should be back with the Chiefs in 2022. He had one of his best years as a professional, even if advanced analytics didn’t favor him. There are at least two games that you can point to (Week 1 and Week 14) where Hughes had a direct impact on the outcome of the game.

If the Chiefs are forced to choose between Hughes and Charvarius Ward, for instance, the choice is clear. If Ward is out of the picture and Hughes is willing to return on an affordable contract, it might be wise to try and build on the season he had in 2021.

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Will pending free agent RB Jerick McKinnon be back with the Chiefs in 2022?

We continue our free agent outlook series by looking at a #Chiefs running back who was a late bloomer in 2021.

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The Kansas City Chiefs head into the offseason looking to re-tool their roster for the 2022 NFL season. The goal is to get the team to Super Bowl LVII after falling short of that goal in 2021 and they’ll be looking to improve the roster in a number of different areas. They’ll also be looking to retain some talent that impressed during the 2021 NFL season.

After drafting Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, Chiefs GM Brett Veach didn’t invest much in the running back position for the 2021 NFL season. In fact, he actually weakened the position group by cutting former Super Bowl hero Damien Williams, who opted out of the 2020 NFL season.

Veach made just two meaningful additions, first signing Derrick Gore on a reserve/future contract in February ahead of Super Bowl LV. He also signed RB Jerick McKinnon on a one-year prove-it deal, using the veteran salary benefit to save money on his salary-cap charge.

Given McKinnon’s extensive injury history, the team wasn’t willing to pay a premium, but they were willing to give him a shot to earn his keep. The veteran halfback is now slated to become a free agent when the new league year begins in March, but will the Chiefs attempt to re-sign him?

The first 10 weeks of the 2021 NFL season weren’t exactly the most fruitful for McKinnon. He recorded just seven carries for 38 yards and 10 receptions on 15 targets for 81 yards. He was playing the majority of his snaps on special teams and when he did start to see action on offense, he wasn’t frequently given the ball. Following a breakthrough performance in Week 10 against the Raiders, McKinnon suffered a hamstring injury on the coverage unit on special teams. He spent the entire month of December on injured reserve, before eventually returning to action in Week 17.

In Week 18 against the Denver Broncos, Clyde Edwards-Helaire was still recouping from a shoulder injury. Darrel Williams drew the start but suffered a toe injury during the course of the game. As a result, McKinnon managed eight touches for 50 yards and a receiving touchdown. It was his most impressive performance in Kansas City to date. Ultimately, that performance earned him the opportunity to start throughout the playoffs. It was his big break.

During the win-or-go-home games, McKinnon had 48 touches for 315 yards and a touchdown, turning heads in the process. Not only was the production there, but McKinnon looked like the most natural fit as a three-down running back as the Chiefs had on the team all season long. His speed, quickness and acceleration added a dynamic element to the offense that it simply lacked beforehand.

So will McKinnon be back with the Chiefs in 2022?

Technically, the Chiefs only have Edwards-Helaire and reserve/future signing Brenden Knox under contract for 2022. They’ll likely retain Gore, who is set to be an exclusive rights free agent. But you can’t go into the season with just a trio of running backs.

The one thing that Chiefs fans learned this season (if they hadn’t already) is that you can never have enough capable running backs. Edwards-Helaire was injured twice during the course of the season. Williams and McKinnon both dealt with injuries as well. It’s possible that the team opts for an upgrade over both McKinnon (and Williams) during free agency or the draft. That said, I don’t think they’d be opposed to bringing McKinnon back on another one-year deal knowing that injuries happen frequently and that he’s capable of stepping up into that main role if necessary.

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Chiefs free agent outlook: LB Damien Wilson

Wilson has been a mainstay on the Chiefs’ defense for the past two seasons.

In the aftermath of Super LV, the Kansas City Chiefs will be tasked with building a roster to get them back to the Super Bowl for a third consecutive year. Brett Veach will have a decision to make on a number of unrestricted free agents this season, many of whom contributed to the success of this franchise over the past two seasons. One of those players is linebacker Damien Wilson.

Wilson was one of the earliest free agent signings by the Chiefs during the 2019 free agency period, joining on a two-year contract after spending the first four years of his career with the Dallas Cowboys. The 2019 free agency period was when the team began to overhaul their defensive personnel from the 3-4 defensive scheme under Bob Sutton to the 4-3 defensive scheme under Steve Spagnuolo.

Wilson was brought in to play the SAM linebacker spot in the base defense and he’s held the position down in Kansas City for the past two seasons. He started in 29-of-32 possible regular-season games for the Chiefs, recording 154 total tackles, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two passes defended and two forced fumbles. In addition to his role in the base defense, Wilson plays the BUCK spot in the Chiefs’ big nickel sub-package. In 2020, he also began playing special teams on the punt coverage unit, playing on 19% of the special team’s snaps for the team.

In each of the six postseason games for Kansas City in the past two years, Wilson was a starter. His most impressive performance for the Chiefs might have come in Super Bowl LV. He led the team in tackles with 10 and his goal-line stand on fourth-down might be the most memorable defensive play from that game.

Despite Wilson’s success in Kansas City over the past two years, it’s unlikely that fans will see him back with the Chiefs in 2021. The team drafted LB Willie Gay Jr. in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. While drafting a player isn’t always prohibitive or re-signing another, Gay has been an understudy to Wilson this season, backing him up as both the SAM and BUCK linebacker. It’s pretty clear that Gay’s trajectory has him set to replace Wilson. It also doesn’t hurt that the Chiefs have a stable of linebackers currently under contract for the 2021 NFL season.

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Chiefs free agent outlook: C Austin Reiter

Will Austin Reiter be the starting center for the Kansas City Chiefs next season?

In the aftermath of Super LV, the Kansa City Chiefs will be tasked with building a roster to get them back to the Super Bowl for a third consecutive year. Brett Veach will have a decision to make on a number of unrestricted free agents this season, many of whom contributed to the success of this franchise over the past two seasons. One of those players is starting center Austin Reiter.

Reiter was claimed off waivers ahead of the start of the 2018 season. At that point, he’d been released by two different teams and had very little starting experience. He’d start out as a reserve in Kansas City, working as an extra blocker on jumbo packages.

Eventually, an opportunity would arise when starting center Mitch Morse suffered a concussion in 2018. Reiter would start four games in place of Morse before he eventually returned to the lineup. Those four starts paved the way for Reiter’s development. It also paved the way for him to eventually become the starter in Kansas City, which he’s held down for the past two seasons.

In 2020, Reiter put together a career year in terms of his pass protection. Through a full 16-game season and three-game postseason, Reiter only allowed 11 total pressures. That includes the Super Bowl LV performance, which was by all accounts a bad one for the offensive line. You still have to go back to Super Bowl LIV to find the last time that Reiter allowed a sack. Some of that is on Patrick Mahomes and his ability to buy time inside and outside of the pocket, but more than enough credit goes to Reiter too.

The Chiefs could move on from Reiter this season and seek to replace him. Right now it seems like their decision here will be determined by what happens with Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz and Kelechi Osemele. If you need new starters at each of those positions, it might be wise to keep Reiter onboard. Potentially having to find four new starters on the offensive line is a daunting task, even for a group of evaluators as talented as the ones in Kansas City.

Reiter also has a good relationship with Patrick Mahomes and some of the other guys on the offensive line, so that’s not exactly something you’d want to disrupt. If Brett Veach can hammer out a two-year contract extension, Reiter could help anchor the offensive line for the Chiefs that’s expected to look quite different in 2021 and beyond.

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