Chiefs make statement with flurry of trades
The Kansas City Chiefs have been aggressive in the week leading up to cutdowns. Instead of standing pat with a solid roster that has been to the AFC Divisional round each of the past two seasons, new general manager Brett Veach has been aggressive, landing inside linebacker Reggie Ragland and offensive lineman Cameron Erving.
Ragland, 23, comes over from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 2019 fourth-round pick. The former standout at the University of Alabama was drafted in the second round by Buffalo, a spot many considered too late for the All-American and two-time First-Team All-SEC. However, a coaching change in Buffalo (and a torn ACL that kept Ragland out of last season’s action) put him in tough position. Buffalo decided to move on, and Kansas City pounced.
Less than 24 hours later, Veach again moved, this time getting a former first-round pick in Erving. The Chiefs gave up a fifth-round selection in the 2018 draft, getting a player who has been abysmal in his two years with the Cleveland Browns. Erving, 25, was the 19th-overall selection in the 2015 draft, a star with the Florida State Seminoles.
Neither is expected to start this season, but with both being young, the Chiefs believe they can develop these former top talents into who most believed they would be coming out of college.
And therein lies the thought process for Kansas City. The Chiefs are clearly banking on the idea that their coaching staff is better than most around the league, something that is bared out both in roster composition and standings. Andy Reid and his assistants have been with the Chiefs through four seasons, all of them winning ones. Three times Reid has won at least 11 games, and all three of those years resulted in a playoff berth. If there has been disappointment, it has resulted in postseason success, with a record of 1-3.
As for the roster, Kansas City has a litany of late-round and undrafted free agents playing key roles including Cairo Santos, Ron Parker, Charcandrick West, Dan Sorensen, Ramik Wilson, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Tyreek Hill. That list doesn’t include anybody drafted earlier than the fifth round.
If Kansas City is wrong with its gambles, it has surrendered a couple of mid-round picks. Certainly nothing to sneeze at, especially when you consider the Chiefs are already without their first and seventh round selections next year, due to acquiring Patrick Mahomes and Kenneth Acker, respectively.
Still, Veach is taking his chances, putting his faith in a staff that is widely-respected as one of the league’s elite. If Ragland and Erving can tap into their potential, the Chiefs just landed two first-round talents for 25 cents on the dollar, making an already young, talented team even more dangerous.
