Chiefs predicted to sign a pass rusher post-2023 NFL Draft
The Kansas City Chiefs have finished up their rookie minicamp after the draft but could still look to add another piece via free agency. This roster, to me, is better than last year's. But, that is if this whole offensive line situation gets figured out. Just because the roster is better though, doesn't mean they […]
The Kansas City Chiefs have finished up their rookie minicamp after the draft but could still look to add another piece via free agency.
This roster, to me, is better than last year's. But, that is if this whole offensive line situation gets figured out. Just because the roster is better though, doesn't mean they can't add some pieces still before the season comes up. There are definitely some areas that could use some work.
They could still sign some guys on defense, and the free agent market for certain defensive positions is actually pretty good right now. One particular position they should look at is edge or just pass rusher in general. They are very young at the position, and luckily for them, there are still some really good players out there available.
One ESPN analyst thinks they should be looking for a pass rusher too, and even predicted the Chiefs will sign one before the 2023 season.
That could be [Frank] Clark, although it would require him to take a significant pay cut from the $21 million he had previously been owed for 2023. Leonard Floyd, Justin Houston, Jadeveon Clowney, and Yannick Ngakoue are all free agents, although they all have their issues. Floyd has only been a productive player next to Aaron Donald. Houston, a former Chiefs star, was cut by the team for cap reasons in 2019 and might not want to return. Clowney has one season with more than three sacks over the past four years and left the Browns in acrimonious fashion. Ngakoue is the most appealing option of the bunch, but he would also be the most expensive. He has been remarkably consistent in terms of pass-rush production, posting 8-12.5 sacks in each of his seven pro seasons. On the other hand, teams have seemingly fallen out of love with Ngakoue quickly; he has now played for five teams over the past four seasons. If the Chiefs are looking to do only a one-year deal, though, no long-term love affair would be necessary. -Bill Barnwell, ESPN
To me, Ngakoue is the perfect guy to sign. As Bill Barnwell said, he has been incredibly consistent and has done it for several different teams now in several different systems. And every team he has been on has had a great pass-rush unit. Ngakoue isn't too young either, so he would still provide that veteran presence that the group needs.
Ngakoue had 12 sacks last year with 44 pressures, which is fairly good for a guy who played 430 pass-rush snaps. But, there is one downside to his game. His pass rush wine rate was 11% last year, which isn't good. The guys above him in sacks finished near 20% and some even at 25%, which is very good. It seems like sometimes he can get taken out of games if the matchup isn't right.
In a defense like this one, he can be a huge help. Steve Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator, would love a guy like Ngakoue.
