Chiefs’ Next Move: 3 Top Free Agent Targets to Fill the Void After L’Jarius Sneed Trade.
>>.This article captures the main theme of the article, which is exploring potential free agent targets for the Kansas City Chiefs after trading L’Jarius Sneed. The article also suggests that there are three top options available in the market, and it implies that these players could help the Chiefs maintain their competitive edge following the departure of Sneed. The title will pique readers’ curiosity about who these potential targets might be and how they could contribute to the team’s success.
Following the late-night trade of standout cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans on Friday night, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to clear a large amount of cap space.
With an extra $19.8 million in budget room this offseason, general manager Brett Veach and the Chiefs—who already have one of the most talented teams in the NFL—have moved up to the eighth-highest spending freedom in the league.
Following the Chiefs’ trade of Sneed, these three players could be their next targets.
Kansas City Chiefs’ Top Remaining Free Agent Targets
CB – Xavien Howard
Xavien Howard remains the premier cornerback available and seems to be set on chasing a Super Bowl ring.
“I think whichever team is smart enough to sign Xavien Howard and put him on an island will end up being a playoff team or Super Bowl contender,” a league source recently told me.
Howard was released before the new league year began as a cap casualty by the Miami Dolphins but remains an effective player at a premium position. Last season, Howard held opposing quarterbacks to a meager 86.7 passer rating when targeting him as he kept receivers to just 11.4 yards per reception against him.
Pairing Howard opposite ascending talent Trent McDuffie could form one of the league’s more daunting and stingy cornerback duos.
S – Justin Simmons
All-Pro safety Justin Simmons is one of the Chiefs’ few obvious vulnerabilities, and there may not be a more talented free agent available.
Simmons is the kind of guy who can be just as effective in deep coverage as he is when supporting runs by putting his body around the line of scrimmage. As a virtual Swiss Army Knife in the Broncos secondary last season, Simmons produced one sack and hauled down three interceptions.
Simmons could be an improvement over Justin Reid and the kind of player who can actually make a difference in the secondary by bringing varied experienced knowledge to the secondary.Simmons is the type of player who’s equally dominant in deep coverage as he is throwing his weight around near the line of scrimmage in run support. Last season, Simmons pulled down three interceptions and produced one sack as a virtual Swiss-Army Knife in the Broncos’ secondary.
Adding versatile veteran experience into the secondary, Simmons could be an upgrade over Justin Reid and the caliber of player who can be a legitimate difference-maker in the secondary.
WR – Odell Beckham Jr.
Even with Marquise “Hollywood Brown” joining the Kansas City Chiefs, the wide receiving corps is far from ideal.
Beckham Jr. still has big-play potential and would be two years removed from an ACL tear, even though he was not the same player in Baltimore as he was as a crucial component of the Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl run in 2021.
Despite this, Beckham Jr. finished the previous season with 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns, an astounding 16.1 yards per reception on average. The 31-year-old must be drawn to the chance to play alongside Patrick Mahomes and pursue a second Super Bowl ring.
The Dolphins have recently expressed a strong interest in Beckham, and the Chiefs would gain more by releasing him from the clutches of an AFC competitor and integrating him into Patrick Mahomes’ receiving group, which already features Brown and rookie playmaker Rashee Rice.
