Chiefs taking a low-risk chance on Morris Claiborne
By Josh Hill
Morris Claiborne is finally off the free agent market, signing a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.
After twisting in the winds of free agency for far longer than many expected, Morris Claiborne has finally found some footing. The Kansas City Chiefs are hoping that footing will help in the efforts to course-correct a defensive unit that let down the league’s best quarterback last season.
Terez Paylor from Yahoo! broke the news of the signing, with FanSided’s Matt Verderame confirming the deal is for just over $1 million.
Claiborne will miss the first four games of the season after violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, something explains why he was still available on the market this late into the offseason. The former first-round pick tried to revive his career with the Jets over the last two seasons, and wasn’t that bad, but didn’t fit into the plan Gregg Williams plans for the defense.
Now he joins a Chiefs team that is trying to wash the sour taste of last season out of its mouth. There’s nothing wrong with Kansas City’s offense, which is gearing up to be one of the league’s best. The struggles have always been on defense, up to and including the unit turning into swiss cheese in the AFC Championship Game last year.
It’s Super Bowl or Bust for fans in Kansas City. The savior, Patrick Mahomes, can only take this team so far as demonstrated last year. If the defense can’t improve, everything feels like it’ll be a lost cause. Claiborne isn’t worldbeater at cornerback, but he’s the type of revival candidate who can be a part of something special with the Chiefs and then cash in next year when he hits the market again.
Think of this along the lines of how players will sign on with the Warriors for a year to get some of the Dubs magical shine and then cash in.