The Kansas City Chiefs are, once again, in an interesting situation with their roster.
After concocting a Super Bowl-winning team in 2019, Brett Veach faces the difficult task of assembling a team to defend the title. He’d like to keep as many players from the Chiefs’ championship team as possible, but the reality of the situation is that they’ll lose some quality players.
Teams can set themselves up for both long term and short term success by acquiring bridge players. These are typically veteran players that are closer to the end of their careers than they are the beginning. Signing these players will allow newer players the luxury of developing at their own pace.
We saw the Chiefs grab a few of these players ahead of and during the 2019 season. Guys like CB Morris Claiborne, RB LeSean McCoy, OL Stefen Wisniewski and LB Terrell Suggs come to mind. These plug and play options can bridge roster gaps while those young players get their feet under them in the NFL. The best thing is they won’t cost a lot either.
Here are three players who the Chiefs should consider to bridge various gaps on their roster while they wait for younger players to develop:
CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Kansas City will likely look to add help at the cornerback spot through the draft and free agency with multiple departures expected. They should invest in the draft, but you need to grab more than one guy at this spot with only four under contract for the 2020 season. I anticipate some sort of veteran signing to happen.
Rodgers-Cromartie abruptly retired during the middle of the 2018 season and returned to the NFL in 2019. He signed a one-year deal with the Washington Redskins. He only made it two games into the season before landing on injured reserve. So why would the Chiefs want DRC?
DRC had some of his best production in his career playing for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and DB coach Dave Merritt with the New York Giants. In 24 games he had 107 total tackles, nine interceptions, 34 passes defended, three forced fumbles, a sack, and a touchdown. It’s worth kicking the tires on this player to see if the 33-year-old anything left in the tank. At the very least he’ll push and motivate some younger players on the roster.