NFL free agency 2023: Chiefs needs, players to target this offseason

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a Super Bowl win. They have now won two of the last three Super Bowls. General manager Brett Veach continues to work wonders with the cap space He will have his work cut out for him as his team has 25 free agents with some heavy hitters scheduled to walk away.

Kansas City Chiefs free agency preview

Re-signing quarterback Patrick Mahomes may be the most important thing Kansas City can prioritize. Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and RT Andrew Wylie are both free agents. Mahomes just won a Super Bowl without having a wide receiver on the depth chart that had previously played in one. Still, Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster are both set to test free agency.

Standout safety Juan Thornhill has likely played his way into a solid second contract. He is coming off his rookie deal, and the Chiefs would be smart to retain him. While they have been wizards with the salary cap in the past, Thornhill could very well be playing for another team in 2023. Elsewhere on defense,

Kansas City is still going to be with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but 2022 rookie Isiah Pacheco played well enough last season to earn the first shot at starting. The Chiefs saw the benefit of having a good receiving back in Jerick McKinnon, and they could want to bring him back or add someone like him.

Players to target

Kaleb McGary from the Atlanta Falcons is going to be one of the most sought-after tackles other than Orlando Brown. Jawaan Taylor and Mike McGlinchey would be other tackle options they could look at bringing in long-term. Kansas City could also choose to use the franchise tag on Brown again, but it would cost more money.

I could see the Chiefs decided to sign Jessie Bates III to replace Thornhill. He has plagued them during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals, so they may as well sign him. If not, they could look into Taylor Rapp or Julian Love.

For depth offensive pieces, the Chiefs would be smart to try and bring back McKinnon. Other receiving backs that they could pair with Pacheco could be Jeff Wilson Jr., Boston Scott or JaMycal Hasty. For replenishing their wide receiver depth, Jakobi Meyers, Allen Lazard, or Darius Slayton would all be worthy adds.

Chris Jones is a dominant defensive tackle, but Kanas City will need another good DT to pair with him. Da'Ron Payne is another defensive tackle that they could pair with Jones to develop, or they could sign a veteran to a short deal which could see them go after Fletcher Cox or David Onyemata.

  
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