Two days ago on March 22, it was announced that the Kansas City Chiefs would lose defensive tackle Jarran Reed in free agency. Tom Pelissero first reported the news.
The #Packers are signing DT Jarran Reed, per source. He was there on a visit today.
“The Packers are signing DT Jarran Reed,” he tweeted. A short time after, Zach Kruse of Packers Wire explained that the Las Vegas Raiders trade for Davante Adams freed up the cap space needed to sign the defensive lineman.
“[The] Packers really have a chance to turn Davante into 3-4 good players,” he noted, following up later that the “Packers re-signed Rasul Douglas and Robert Tonyan, and signed Jarran Reed since the trade.”
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Chiefs Take Page out of Packers’ Book
The former Seattle Seahawks D-tackle only spent one season with the Chiefs in 2021 and provided sub-par contributions according to Pro Football Focus. His 54.6 run defense grade nearly matched his 54.5 overall, but Reed did provide 43 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 17 starts.
Now that Kansas City has officially moved on from Tyreek Hill, they could use the newfound cap space to take a page out of the Packers’ book. The philosophy is simple — three to four signings plus another three to five draft picks trumps one superstar WR.
Of course, you have to spend that money and draft capital wisely.
The Chiefs have already been more active since dealing Hill, bringing in multiple players for visits, including running back Ronald Jones, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling and linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. as recent as this morning.
Free agent linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. is visiting the #Chiefs, per sources. Headed to KC today. Carter started for Carolina last season and recorded 88 tackles.
So far, none of the three visits have led to immediate signings, but that could change. The difference is that GM Brett Veach is much more active in free agency today than he was last week.
Expect more moves to come as the Chiefs reshape their roster for 2022.
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Around the NFL
Sticking with the theme of ex-Chiefs players, we mentioned that former linebacker Damien Wilson signed with the Carolina Panthers but another former KC player received a fresh start last week.
OFFICIAL: We have signed RB Damien Williams to a one-year deal.
Lost in the shuffle of free agency was the Atlanta Falcons signing of running back Damien Williams. This morning, PFN NFL reporter Aaron Wilson detailed the halfback’s contract.
Damien Williams (Falcons) one year, $1.62M, $500K signing bonus, salary $1.12M
He informed: “Damien Williams (Falcons) one year, $1.62M, $500K signing bonus, salary $1.12M.”
As this new era of Chiefs football begins, more and more pieces from years past will continue their careers elsewhere. While it’s always sad to see familiar faces go, these tough decisions are often the same moves that lead to sustained success in the NFL.
The Packers and Chiefs are two organizations that have done that better than anyone in recent years. The Raiders have not.
With the two AFC West rivals choosing to go in opposite directions at the wide receiver position, it’ll be interesting to see which team-building strategy leads to a winner first, and which ends up working out better long-term.
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Raiders’ Monster Trade Contributed to Chiefs’ Recent Departure