3 lineman the Chiefs can sign after Laurent Duvernay-Tardif opted out

1. Larry Warford

After the Saints drafted Michigan center/guard Cesar Ruiz in the first round of April’s draft, head coach Sean Payton said Warford would have to compete for the starting job at right guard. The competition at center between Ruiz and Erik McCoy would theoretically push one of them to guard. Always up against it financially the Saints released Warford soon after, clearing $7.75 million in cap space.

The Houston Texans and Chicago Bears quickly surfaced with reported interest in Warford, who Pro Football Focus graded No. 30 out of 82 qualifying guards in 2019. The Bears quickly fell away though, perhaps spurred by the three-time Pro Bowler’s asking price. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported at the time that Warford was looking for around $7 million per year in his next deal. As Pro Football Rumors cited at that time in May, 20 guards in the league are signed for at least $7 million in AAV. So Warford’s ask was not unreasonable.

Now, on the precipice of training camp, Warford’s asking price has surely dropped. That’s good for Kansas City, as they have just $4.788 million available right now. A move to sign Warford by the Chiefs almost seems inevitable now, since they can’t afford a drop-off from Duvernay-Tardif to a mediocre or less than mediocre cast-off (not necessarily on this list) who might otherwise replace him.