With a little over two weeks remaining before the 2022 NFL Draft is underway, the Kansas City Chiefs still need to find some pass-rush help.
Pro Bowlers Chris Jones and Frank Clark make up the majority of Kansas City’s pass rush, with Mike Danna, Tershawn Wharton, Josh Kaindoh, and Khalen Saunders providing additional help as well. But what the Chiefs need is a dominant edge defender that they can plug in opposite of Frank Clark, that way the pass rush can consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks, which would in hand take pressure off of a Kansas City secondary that no longer has Tyrann Mathieu or Charvarius Ward.
This is why the Chiefs are being urged to trade for an aging defender that is coming off a career-high 18.5 sacks in 2021.
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Chiefs Linked to Bears Pass-Rusher
Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton listed off five trades NFL teams should execute before the draft and named the Chiefs as a team that should trade for Chicago Bears veteran defensive end Robert Quinn.
Quinn, 31, is coming off a season in which he recorded 38 tackles, 22 quarterback hits, 18.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and a Pro Bowl nod, per Pro Football Reference. Wharton believes the Bears could fetch a third-round pick in exchange for sending Quinn to the Chiefs.
Quinn is in the third year of his five-year, $70 million contract with Chicago.
“The impact of Melvin Ingram’s midseason addition in 2021 should be further proof of the Chiefs’ need to add a premier body to the unit. Frank Clark can no longer be the creative rusher, and it’s unlikely a rookie will push the defense over the hill in the playoffs,” Wharton wrote.
“Quinn can be a higher-upside version of Ingram for the Chiefs in 2022.”
Chiefs Sign Dual-Threat D-Lineman on 1-Year Deal
Among the recent additions that the Chiefs have made to bolster their defensive line is signing veteran defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth to a one-year deal, according to his agent, Brett Tessler.
Happy to announce that Taylor Stallworth has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. 5th year D-Tackle has been with the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints and should become a valuable part of KC’s rotation.
Stallworth, 26, entered the NFL undrafted out of South Carolina in 2018. He made the New Orleans Saints’ initial 53-man roster that fall but would be waived not long after that. Stallworth then re-signed with the Saints practice squad on September 20, per Pro Football Reference.
Stallworth would remain in New Orleans for the remainder of the 2018 and 2019 seasons but was cut on August 4 of 2020. The veteran defender signed with the Indianapolis Colts on August 10 and would play in 32 games over the next two seasons in Indy. During the 2021 regular season, Stallworth recorded 12 quarterback hits and three sacks, according to Pro Football Reference.
Last season, Stallworth played a total of 331 defensive snaps, 217 of them being “pass rush” snaps and 114 being “run defense” snaps, per PFF. That speaks to his ability within a strong Colts defense to be a helpful asset in the run and pass game.
Last offseason, the Chiefs signed former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed to a one-year deal worth up to $7 million. Kansas City got what they paid for with Reed, as he accumulated 29 tackles, eight quarterback hits, and three sacks, per PFF. However, now Reed is a free agent and has not re-signed with the Chiefs. Instead, he signed with the Green Bay Packers.
Stallworth isn’t an upgrade over Reed. However, adding Stallworth as a depth piece and plugging a rookie draft pick alongside Chris Jones on the defensive line would be an upgrade over the Chiefs’ 2021 defensive tackle room.
It’s worth noting that there’s only one player that has officially visited with the #Chiefs this offseason but didn’t end up signing with KC. That would be DE Arden Key, who signed with JAX instead.
Players like what they see when they visit #ChiefsKingdom
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Chiefs Urged to Trade for 18.5-Sack Pass-Rusher Before Draft