Chiefs Free Agents

Chiefs have some tough personnel decisions to make
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

Casey Wiegmann was a free-agent find for the Chiefs last year. The veteran center returned for his second tour of duty with the Chiefs and played perhaps better than any of their other offensive lineman.

But Wiegmann will be 38 in July and the Chiefs face an interesting decision whether to re-sign him for 2011. Wiegmann isn’t the only player with an expiring contract. He’s just one of 25 players on their roster without a contract for 2011.

The Chiefs have six significant unsigned players on defense, including both of their top pass rushers, outside linebacker Tamba Hali and end Wallace Gilberry. Hali led the AFC with a career-high 14 1/2 sacks last season and added another two in the playoff loss to Baltimore.

Gilberry added seven sacks in the regular season. No other Chiefs player had more than three. Their combined total of 21 1/2 was more than half of the team’s 38.

The Chiefs re-signed some of their better young players during the season, including linebacker Derrick Johnson and running back Jamaal Charles, but made no apparent move to re-sign either Hali, who is 27, or Gilberry, 26.

Outside linebacker Mike Vrabel is 35 and has no contract for 2010. The Chiefs have been grooming Andy Studebaker to take Vrabel’s starting spot eventually. Vrabel lost some of his playing time last season to Studebaker, but the Chiefs would face a leadership void without Vrabel.

Other defensive players without 2011 contracts include cornerback Brandon Carr and defensive linemen Ron Edwards and Shaun Smith. Carr was drafted to play the zone system used by former coach Herm Edwards, but survived nicely last season when the Chiefs asked him to play more man-to-man coverage.

Edwards and Smith are the only true nose tackles on the Chiefs’ roster.

Offensive players without 2011 contracts include Wiegmann and quarterback Brodie Croyle. Wiegmann won the starting job from the incumbent, Rudy Niswanger, during training camp and never gave it back. Wiegmann was a key factor as the Chiefs led the league in rushing during the regular season.

Croyle is 0-10 in his career as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback. The Chiefs lost 31-0 at San Diego last month when Croyle replaced the ailing Matt Cassel as the starter.

The Chiefs have no other serious backup quarterback candidates on their roster, so they will have to acquire one if Croyle is not re-signed.

Because the league’s collective-bargaining agreement is set to expire in March, it’s unclear which of the Chiefs’ unsigned players would be unrestricted, restricted or exclusive rights free agents or whether there will be free agency at all.

The Chiefs had 61 players on their roster at season’s end, including eight on injured reserve. Linebacker Mark Simoneau was one of them and has announced his retirement.

The Chiefs signed on Wednesday the eight players who finished the season on their practice squad: linebackers Justin Cole, Micah Johnson and Pierre Walters, defensive lineman Dion Gales, offensive linemen Darryl Harris and Bobby Greenwood, wide receiver Jeremy Horne and tight end Cody Slate.

To reach Adam Teicher, call 816-234-4875 or send e-mail to ateicher@kcstar.com
Posted on Wed, Jan. 12, 2011 11:05 PM

The most important thing for the Chiefs to do this offseason is get Hali locked up.

It also might be time to let Vrabel go. Let Studebaker take over and/or draft a LB pretty high. Maybe even sign someone depending on whos out there... I'm pretty interested in seeing Sheffield though... the rest of our draft was great last year, so he could be too.

The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Thursday that the club has signed free agent LB Eric Bakhtiari (pronounced bock-TAR-ee).


Bakhtiari (6-3, 250) spent two games on the Chiefs practice squad in 2010. He played in three games with Tennessee in 2009, posting six special teams tackles. Bakhtiari has also spent time on the practice squad with Cleveland (2010), Miami (2010), Tennessee (2009), Tampa Bay (2009), San Francisco (2008, 2010) and San Diego (2008). He originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with San Diego in 2008.

Bakhtiari was a three-time Pioneer League first-team selection at the University of San Diego. He prepped at Burlingame High School in Burlingame, California.

We are fucked hard if Hali gets away!

SylvesterMalone1978 wrote:

We are fucked hard if Hali gets away!

I think they are waiting to see what the hell is going to happen with the CBA deal. Hali is going to take some money. If there is a lockout, they may be content franchising him to buy time.

Hali isnt going anywhere. I'd settle for resigning Weigmann but I'd def. like to upgrade. Vrable needs to retire. Studebaker or perhaps even Sheffield should start next year. The rest of the 2010 draft class has been pretty good..hopefully Sheffield is just like them. Gilberry and Shaun Smith both need to be retained. Gilberry is a great DE for getting pressure. Shaun Smith tore it up this year and got into the opponents heads a couple times.

RustShack wrote:

The most important thing for the Chiefs to do this offseason is get Hali locked up.

14.5 sacks is unbelievable! I remember some people talking before the season that he had the chance to over take Dumerville this year and I thought they were nuts.. WoW! What a Transition hes made..

I agree with Bowe.. Those guys are keepers.

Hali, Gillberry, and Smith are obvious locks we need to keep. I could also see us keeping Ron Edwards, depending on if we want Smith to be a DE or NT, or let him do both as depth and still keep Edwards while bringing in a young big guy finally. Vrabel has coached up Studebaker, and I think its time to let him go. Let him, Sheffield, and some other young guys take over.

Weigmann could be retained one more year, but something has to be done... whether its draft a center, or move Asomoah, Harris, Waters, or Lilja there.

Carr also must be resigned, unless we plan on signing Nnamdi Asomugha.

Unless we draft a QB at some point in the draft, Croyle will likely be resigned also... or both could happen and we move on from Palko.

Micah Johnson is someone I'm interested in seeing what happens.. I think he could end up being a better ILB than Belcher, who is pretty solid and will likely keep improving. Cole, Harris, Walters, and Horne are a few other PS players with a little upside to them.

I think Pioli will end up franchising Hali to buy more time to negotiate a long term deal. Carr needs to be resigned asap. I dont see us being in on Asomugha, not that it wouldnt be freakin awesome if we were. Bring Weigmann back for one more year so we can develop a center from the draft under him, it could only help. Vrabel would not be a bad back up, the young guys really look up to him.

I'd rather pay Carr. I hate them damn Raiders!

Depending on the CBA, there might not be a franchise tag.