Is Nailing the Draft or Free Agency More Important for the Chiefs?

With big holes to fill in the upcoming season, should the Chiefs focus on their draft picks or potential free agent signings?

Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks in a press conference ahead of Super Bowl LIX at New Orleans Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs are among the few teams who have a significant percentage of their starters hitting free agency this offseason. While it's obvious that the Chiefs won't be able to retain everybody, they should have the funds to keep some of the roster intact. With that being said, the players that do end up leaving are going to have to be replaced, so will it be primarily through draft picks or signees?

The Chiefs currently hold the 31st overall pick in the draft, and many predict them to beef-up the offensive line with their early selections. If that's the case, that leaves solving the issues of their receiving room and their defense, both departments who are expected to experience significant turnover.

On the offensive side, both WRs DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown look like prime candidates to take their talents elsewhere, while their star tight end Travis Kelce is still on the edge about returning for a 13th season.

On the other end, star linebacker Nick Bolton is set to be one of the most wanted free agents in this year's cycle, while there's fear that safety Justin Reid will also start looking elsewhere. The Chiefs were blessed with a significant increase to this year's salary cap, and free agency seems like the way to go for the Chiefs to fix their holes and end back on top.

Last week, the Chiefs along with the rest of the NFL received news that the salary cap would be between $277.5M and $281.5M, an increase of over $22M than what executives originally expected. This brought the Chiefs' free cap space from just under $1M to almost $9M. If that's not a sign to go out and be aggresive in free agency, I don't know what is.

While the upcoming Combine and Draft will also be important to find potential stars, the Chiefs have a chance to sign some proven stars come March 10th, the offical starting date of free agency. If the Chiefs will be able to bolster their receiving room, along with the defensive backs through numerous signings, they'll be in good shape to go reclaim the throne in the upcoming season.

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