Getty Pittsburgh Steelers fullback Derek Watt.
T
he Kansas City Chiefs still have one position on the roster with no name penciled in as the starter for the 2023 season: fullback.
Former Chiefs fullback Michael Burton, who played for Kansas City the past two seasons, joined the Denver Broncos this offseason. That’s why Arrowhead Pride’s Matt Stagner believes the defending Super Bowl champions should sign a veteran free agent with strong roots in the NFL: 7-year veteran Derek Watt.
Watt, 30, is the brother of former NFL superstar JJ Watt and Pittsburgh Steelers three-time All-Pro edge rusher TJ Watt. Derek was drafted by the then-San Diego Chargers in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He remained with the Chargers for four seasons before taking to free agency in 2020 and joining his brother TJ as a member of the Steelers. Derek played in Pittsburgh for three seasons before taking to free agency yet again this offseason.
“The 30-year-old former Steeler and Charger is a staple on special teams, regularly making tackles on kick and punt coverage,” Stagner on April 12. “Derek is a versatile player but not dominant at any single thing. In college, he even did a little long snapping. He can win as a lead blocker or as the ball carrier in short-yardage situations.”
Stagner mentioned other options in his article as well, which reside in free agency, the draft, or potential hybrid TE/FB options that are already on the roster.
With two weeks remaining until the NFL Draft, the defending Super Bowl champions will likely try to find their fullback via the draft first. But if they are unable to find one that way, then Watt could be a potential option for them after the draft.
Chiefs Free Agency Tracker
Here is a list of the players the Chiefs have signed during free agency thus far along with their contracts according to Over The Cap:
- OT Jawaan Taylor (4 years, $80 million)
- DE Charles Omenihu (2 years, $20 million)
- S Mike Edwards (1 year, $3 million)
- LB Drue Tranquill (1-year, $5 million)
- DT Tershawn Wharton (1 year, $2 million)
- OL Nick Allegretti (1-year, $2.5 million)
- OL Prince Tea Wanogho (tendered)
- TE Jody Fortson (tendered)
- P Tommy Townsend (tendered)
- QB Shane Buechele (tendered)
- DT Derrick Nnadi (1-year, $1.2 million)
- TE Blake Bell (1-year, $1.1 million)
- DT Byron Cowart (1-year, $1.08 million)
- DT Phil Hoskins (1-year, $940,000)
- S Deon Bush (1-year, $1.3 million)
- WR Richie James (1-year deal)
Here are the players that remain free agents:
- DE Frank Clark
- DE Carlos Dunlap
- DT Brandon Williams
- TE Jordan Franks
- WR Justin Watson
- RB Jerick McKinnon
- LB Darius Harris
Marcus Spears Give Epic Rant on Patrick Mahomes
Former NFL quarterback Carson Palmer said on “The QB Room” podcast that he believes Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is a better quarterback than Patrick Mahomes.
During ESPN’s show “NFL Live,” former NFL defensive lineman and analyst Marcus Spears was asked who the better quarterback is and gave an answer that will earn the respect of Chiefs Kingdom.
“It’s Patrick Mahomes … I would rather Carson Palmer — and anybody else — just say they prefer the way Joe Burrow plays football. Because saying that Joe Burrow is better than Patrick Mahomes is dumb. That is asinine,” Spears said on April 10. “And it’s asinine because of the — not only the accomplishments — what we’ve seen, like what we’ve watched. If you don’t like the fact that a quarterback is going to improvise and go out of structure, it’s cool to say that.”
.@mspears96 wants to make things clear about the top QB in the NFL 📊
“I would rather Carson Palmer and anybody else just say they prefer the way Joe Burrow plays football, because saying that Joe Burrow is better than Patrick Mahomes, that’s dumb.”