[kccrow]

I said it in the GDT that I really don't think Spags is the issue. He's proven he can put a winning product on the field, despite some pretty big deficiencies, but he's being asked to make chicken salad out of turkey shit this time around. There's not enough talent. It needs to get blown up, or so that seems to be the premise of the discussion. Good news! It's getting blown up regardless.

If you trade or cut Clark and also cut Hitchens, while not re-signing anyone else on the team, here's your 2022 Chiefs:

QB P. Mahomes
RB C. Edwards-Helaire
TE T. Kelce
TE N. Gray
WR T. Hill
WR M. Hardman
LG J. Thuney
OC C. Humphrey
RG T. Smith
RT L. Niang
OL N. Allegretti

K H. Butker
P T. Townsend

ER M. Danna
ER J. Kaindoh
DT C. Jones
DT K. Saunders
DT T. Wharton
LB W. Gay
LB N. Bolton
CB L. Sneed
CB R. Fenton
DB J. Thornhill

If that looks roughly 30 players short, that's because it is.

I'm absolutely, 100% in agreement that Hitchens and Clark NEED to go. I'm also in agreement that most of the current players set to be free agents NEED to go. In fact, the only player on defense I'd argue to retain is Nnadi. With Hitchens and Clark gone pre-June 1, you can get to about $50 million in cap.

Offensively, I can handle most of the cheap guys coming back with no issues and you gotta ERFA whoever you can. I think you give contracts to Fountain, Burton, Winchester, Powell, etc. Fortson is an ERFA, so keep him (I'd keep anyhow). I'd let the 2+ million guys that aren't shit walk. If they cost more than a 1.035 vet min, then question why you're keeping them.

Honestly, there isn't a choice on Orlando Brown either, unless we want to watch this team waste a 1 on a LT and yet again ignore defense early. I don't think Brown has a leg to stand on in terms of setting the market but he also has a leg to stand on when it comes to getting some real money in that deal. If I'm guessing, it's 5 for 105, so of the $50 million you have before signing anyone and cutting Hitch and Clark, he's going to probably eat $16 of it as a minimum in that first year. So, primarily, we'll see alot of the same back on offense, and that isn't a bad thing. That said, even going as cheap as you can to get to the #s you need on offense, you're going to chew up a solid 28-29 million on offense inclusive of Brown.

So that really leaves you about $18 million to spend on defense (Give or take as you will for the draft class from each pool). You're probably going to need to retain a few cheap guys that you like in roles on special teams and so forth. So who you keeping?

I said before, you gotta keep the ERFA guys, they are cheap. So add Baker, Lammons, and Harris. I'd keep Bootle and Nnadi as starting points. The market may dictate if anyone else would be on my list, but I doubt it. Maybe Hughes.

At least at this point, I have a group of CBs I can live with and hopefully add a cheap vet to (Sneed, Fenton, Baker, Bootle, Lammons) and a DT rotation that's solid with Jones, Nnadi, Wharton, and Saunders. You just need a warm body to fill that group.

Where can I get the best bang for my buck if I'm playing with roughly 8 million? Probably LB and S. The issue is I can't rely on the draft for all the ER help and trot out Danna and Kaindoh again (I'd probably want to gouge my eyes out, but they should develop more). I gotta get an ER in FA. What's the easiest position to fill in the draft with an instant player? Safety. No doubt in my mind. I'm not going to worry about safety unless I get DEALS.

So, I need to get an ER and an LB in FA. I know I can get a starting LB for 2-3 million. Maybe you get a discount on a player you have valued higher right now (e.g. Jayon Brown given his injuries, etc). There's always a vet like De'Vondre Campbell that slips through the cracks too for cheap and makes an impact. I wouldn't press the LB market just to get one. It's about finding the right one(s).

What swinging dicks can I get at ER for 5-6 million? One young guy that maybe hasn't quite ever put it all together like Derek Barnett? A mid-tier guy like Dante Fowler? Or a couple old Ryan Kerrigan/Justin Houston types? Tough call. I probably won't get a full-time player out of the old-timers. Personally, I'd hope like hell I can get Barnett for, at least, an early discount on a shorter deal and he turns the corner. The returns aren't abysmal if he stays the course though.

That really leaves the draft to focus on mostly defense. Looking at "likely reality" offensively, you might need to snag a WR, RB, and reserve OL but none are necessary in the draft, honestly.

I don't think you have to pigeonhole yourself into a DE in round 1 but if you don't take one then you best be staring at a guy like Brandon Smith or Kyle Hamilton to help you at LB or S where you need more help too. That said, this should be a good draft at DE and I think you have to take a couple.

No matter what, I'd probably not get some fancy idea that Veach can just blow things up and the defense will jump into the top 10. It's just not really possible. This team is going to take some lumps for a year or two to get the ship righted again on defense.