The 2024 NFL Draft is over, which means that the free agent market is about to heat up for players like Donovan Smith. After an unremarkable season with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the former second-round pick and two-time Super Bowl champion has yet to land with a new organization. This isn’t too surprising, as Smith wasn’t anything special last year and teams typically wait until after the draft to sign the second or third wave of free agents. We recently saw something similar happen when the Chargers signed DJ Chark, and Smith could be the next veteran to find a new home.
Unfortunately for Donovan Smith, that free agent home probably won’t be in Kansas City. Speaking to the press, General Manager Brett Veach said that he is happy with the current roster and isn’t looking to add any veteran faces at the moment.
“If we need to go in a different direction before training camp, we will,” Veach said, per Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star. “But I think now, we’re excited with where the roster is, and look forward to the final OTA periods…For right now, I think we’re going to let these young guys go out there and see what they can do and how much they can absorb.”
Free Agent Donovan Smith Unlikely To Sign With Chiefs
Kansas City’s training camp starts on July 23rd, which means that Donovan Smith would have to wait months before signing with the Chiefs as a free agent. This also assumes Kansas City wants him back at all, which might not be in the cards. Jawaan Taylor’s massive salary locks him into the right tackle position, and the team selected Kingsley Suamataia to compete with Wanya Morris for the left tackle position.
The offensive tackle finished the 2023 season with a 57.8 PFF grade, the 61st-best mark out of 81 eligible players. This relatively pedestrian performance is the primary reason he’s still a free agent, as he is nobody’s first choice for the position. However, he’s still an NFL-caliber player in a league where there are not enough good tackles to go around. Somebody will bring him in, and these five teams make the most sense.
Potential Destinations
New England Patriots
The Patriots invested more draft capital in the offensive side of the ball than any other team. New England selected quarterback Drake Maye with the third-overall pick and spent the rest of the three-day event trying to surround him with talent. While rookie Caedan Wallace will compete for the vacant left tackle job, they should add some veteran competition. Donovan Smith is arguably the best free agent tackle left on the market, and he can provide some much-needed support for Maye or veteran Jacoby Brissett.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are rolling with Aidan O’Connell for another season, and they added Maryland’s DJ Glaze in the third round to fight for the starting job. Glaze has some promise, but third-round tackles are rarely ready to contribute from Day 1. Perhaps Glaze can be the exception, but the Raiders should consider signing Donovan Smith as a free agent just in case the rookie isn’t ready to go.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are trying to replace Morgan Moses with Roger Rosengarten, but they might have reached in the second round. Rosengarten was the 80th player on the consensus big board, which implies Baltimore allowed team needs to dictate their second-round selection. Perhaps Rosengarten can play up to his draft stock, but Donovan Smith can provide some cheap insurance as a free agent in the event consensus is correct.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints entered the 2024 NFL Draft needing two offensive tackles, and they only got one. With Ryan Ramczyk’s health in question, New Orleans must find somebody capable of starting at a moment’s notice. With minimal cap space, Donovan Smith might be the most cost-effective free agent option out there. Derek Carr is one of the worst quarterbacks in the league under pressure, so New Orleans needs to keep him upright if they want to make it to the playoffs.
Miami Dolphins
Terron Armstead is coming back for at least one more season, but the five-time Pro Bowler is not the picture of health. The former Saints has never played a full season in his entire career and only appeared in 23 of a possible 34 games as a Dolphin. With Robert Hunt in Carolina and Connor Williams still unsigned, Miami’s offensive line is already a weakness. If Armstead goes down, Donovan Smith could prevent this unit from being an active liability.
Main Photo: Tina MacIntyre – USA Today Sports
