3 teams that should sign Carlos Dunlap right away

Several teams should be trying to sign Carlos Dunlap right away after he was let go by the Seattle Seahawks.

Plenty of teams around the NFL have to make tough decisions this offseason because of the salary cap. The Seattle Seahawks were among those teams and made a tough move Monday by deciding to release veteran defender Carlos Dunlap.

Dunlap was only traded to Seattle last October and was owed just over $14 million in 2021 with a $0 dead cap hit. Thus, the Seahawks cut that money and may try to get him back on a cheaper deal in free agency.

But Dunlap is now free to sign with any team right away because he did not enter the offseason as a free agent. Several contenders should be calling his agent immediately to try to sign the veteran for 2021.

3 teams should be calling about Carlos Dunlap right away

Signing Dunlap would be an absolute coup for the Kansas City Chiefs before free agency even begins. The one problem there is the Chiefs are also dealing with a bit of a cap space problem. The team is roughly $22 million in the red and would have to get creative on structuring a deal for Dunlap.

From an idealistic sense, he show up and form a super trio alongside Frank Clark and Chris Jones. The Chiefs could even get Dunlap on a one-year deal to keep costs low with the pitch of allowing him to compete for a Super Bowl. He may be more than thrilled to take less money in order to win after spending a decade with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Buffalo Bills are another AFC contender that should be trying to sign Dunlap. They actually have a small amount of cap space right now and can also pitch a winning atmosphere to Dunlap.

He would show up and join a defense that could really use someone capable of getting 10 sacks in any given season. The Bills had two players tie for the team lead with five sacks in 2020.

The Bills saw what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did in the Super Bowl. They got a ton of pressure on Patrick Mahomes and did what the Bills couldn’t do in the AFC Championship Game. Dunlap would provide an elite presence and potentially get the Bills defense to that next level.

The Las Vegas Raiders are the third team that comes to mind. The defense combined for only 21 sacks in 2020 and Maxx Crosby led the way with seven. This is a team that traded away Khalil Mack a few years ago and immediately realized they lacked a strong pass rush.

If the Raiders aren’t going to make a blockbuster trade for a quarterback, they will have the cap space to give Dunlap a deal. The Raiders would be the one team in this scenario who may have to go above and beyond in terms of money. Dunlap is 32 years old and winning now could end up being what matters most.

The Dunlap sweepstakes are underway and teams all over the NFL will likely kick the tires on a deal. The three teams mentioned here should realize the opportunity before them to improve their respective defensive lines before free agency actually begins.