Every Chiefs free agent signing in 2023 ranked from worst to best

Jawaan Taylor was the Chiefs’ big splash, but also a massive gamble

I have no qualms with Veach making the decision that he wasn’t going to pay Orlando Brown Jr. premium left tackle money. In fact, I agree with the assessment that, though he’s performed at a high level, his unique physical attributes do limit him on the left side at times. Moreover, I do believe that Jawaan Taylor did deserve a nice payday from the Chiefs or any team that signed him.

Why the biggest free agent signing for Kansas City isn’t ranked as the best, though, is the risk in the plan they are purportedly deploying. Taylor has played less than two dozen snaps at left tackle in his career. Now he’s going to be asked to make that transition with his new team with no guarantee it works. For a big-money deal, I’m not sure I’m completely on board with incurring that type of risk as there’s no guarantee it works on the left side.

Re-signing Derrick Nnadi was paramount for the Chiefs defense

Coming into the offseason, despite how dominant and present Chris Jones is at defensive tackle, it was a big area of focus that Kansas City had because of players that could be leaving. Both Khalen Saunders and Derrick Nnadi were scheduled to hit free agency. That would leave the team with a big-time depth and continuity problem.

So while the Chiefs did lose Saunders (he signed in New Orleans), retaining Nnadi then became a priority and they were able to bring him back. The work is likely not done on the interior, but Nnadi is a great complement to Jones with his focus on run-stopping paired with Jones’ penetrating style of attack.

Charles Omenihu should be a perfectly timed swing for the Chiefs

The decision in Kansas City to release Frank Clark was a prudent one given his cap hit but, with Carlos Dunlap also hitting free agency, it did leave the defense needing something on the edge in free agency. And I love what Charles Omenihu can bring.

Over four seasons with the Texans and 49ers combined, Omeninhu has largely been a role player but he’s started to come into his own, posting a 12.9% pressure rate last season on pass-rush snaps. Still only 25 years old, he’s big-time on upside and pairing him with 2022 first-rounder George Karlaftis, veteran Mike Danna and perhaps a Top 100 draft pick is a perfect move to keep generating pressure from the edge.