The Kansas City Chiefs are 9-5 and well on their way to yet another AFC West championship, but that hasn’t stopped the fine folks at Pro Football Focus from focusing on the upcoming class of free agents. PFF’s Brad Speilberger recently ranked the top 100 free agents, and Kansas City had three players make the list, with two of them earning a spot in the top 10.
Obviously, free agency should not be the Chiefs main focus right now. Even though the machine isn’t as finely tuned as usual at this point in the season, Kansas City remains in the thick of the playoff race and is still on the short list of Super Bowl contenders. However, this is still worth observing as the fact that the Chiefs have multiple high-impact free agents speaks to all the talent on the roster. Without further ado, the three players to make the list are:
- Chris Jones (1)
- L’Jarius Sneed (10)
- Drue Tranquill (82)
3 Chiefs Make PFF’s Top 100 Free Agents
The Players Themselves
It should go without saying that the Chiefs will do everything in their power to retain their top two free agents. Even at the relatively advanced age of 29, Chris Jones remains one of the most dangerous interior defenders in the entire league. After sitting out Week 1 during a contract dispute, the four-time Pro Bowler returned to the field and went back to being his dominant self. While he isn’t going to touch last year’s sack numbers, he still has recorded an impressive 7.5 sacks, 26 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, and 20 quarterback hits while earning an 81.6 PFF grade.
L’Jarius Sneed isn’t as big of a name, but he’s establishing himself as one of the better cornerbacks in the league. Playing second fiddle to Trent McDuffie, the former fourth-round pick has broken out in the past two years. Perhaps he’s not suited to line up against an opposing team’s best receiver on every single snap, but he’s a valuable player at a premium position.
Drue Tranquill, meanwhile, is in his first year with Kansas City and is doing a fine job. Signed from the Chargers as a free agent, the former fourth-round pick has recorded 4.5 sacks, 74 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, and six quarterback hits. He won’t blow you away, but he’s a reliable starter who can be a good complementary part of any defense.
Can the Chiefs Re-Sign Their Free Agents?
In a perfect world, the Chiefs would find a way to bring back all of their impending free agents. However, the salary cap exists, and Patrick Mahomes has earned a massive payday. At this point in time, roster sacrifices need to be made, and it’s going to be tough for Kansas City to bring everyone back in 2024.
As of this posting, Spotrac has the Chiefs with $30.48 million in available cap space for the 2024 season. This is pretty good considering that the Chiefs already have a strong roster, but they’ll need to add some free agents of their own. This team needs another wide receiver or two and should set aside some money to pursue someone like Tee Higgins, Mike Evans, or Michael Pittman.
The Chiefs top priority should be making sure that Chris Jones never becomes a free agent. Fortunately, they can still use the franchise tag to keep him off the market. If this happens, Jones will almost certainly refuse to sign the tender and hold out for a long-term contract, but at least it will keep him from signing with another team.
L’Jarius Sneed, however, will be hard to retain. Trent McDuffie is the clear star in the secondary, and the Chiefs will need to sign him before he becomes a free agent. Sneed, however, is a good-but-not-great player that another team could easily overpay for.
Drue Tranquill signed for modest money with the Chiefs, and it’s hard to see the impending free agent earning a massive raise after this season. If Kansas City wants to bring him back, they should be able to do so pretty easily.
Main Photo: Jay Biggerstaff – USA Today Sports
