3 Chiefs who won’t be back after playoff loss to Bengals
By John Buhler
The Kansas City Chiefs could lose these three players in free agency this offseason.
The Kansas City Chiefs came up three points short of getting back to the Super Bowl.
After winning in overtime a week ago over the Buffalo Bills, fate would have it the Chiefs would lose at home in overtime to the Cincinnati Bengals, of all teams, and miss out on the Super Bowl. The Chiefs may have the best team in the AFC West, but the upper crust of the conference is right there with them. Look no further than the Bills giving them a scare and the Bengals beating them.
Though many pieces on this team will return, look for these three impending free agents to be on the way out.
Kansas City Chiefs: 3 players who probably will not be back next season
3. Pick Analysis. S. Kansas City Chiefs. Daniel Sorensen. player. 124. Scouting Report
The Chiefs may look to get younger in the secondary without Daniel Sorensen
Daniel Sorensen may have spent his entire eight-year NFL career out of BYU in KC, but it might be time for the Chiefs to get a bit younger in their secondary. Sorensen will be 32 years old next year and is no longer an every-game starter for the Chiefs. While he did play in all 17 regular-season games for them last year, Sorensen may be the odd man out when it comes to revamping the secondary.
Other key free agents in the Chiefs’ defensive backfield include Tyrann Mathieu, Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes. All three are younger than him and still in their 20s. Bringing back Mathieu is a no-brainer. While Hughes did not work out in his first NFL stop in Minnesota, he is a former first-round talent. As for Ward, he is a player Kansas City can definitely look to invest in long-term.
Overall, the Chiefs may look to sign a cheaper safety in free agency or just select a younger one in the 2022 NFL Draft. While Sorensen is well-versed in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, it is hard to see them paying close to $2.5 million in average annual value for a safety who is on the wrong side of 30. He may return, but Sorensen will probably have to take a hometown discount to even do so.
Reloading in the secondary may be top priority defensively, but this offensive line has to be better.