The Kansas City Chiefs still have a number of ways they can improve their team via free agency, but they’re likely waiting until after the 2022 NFL draft to make any more big free-agent signings.
Fans have been clamoring for a big signing at cornerback and edge rusher, with names like Stephon Gilmore and Melvin Ingram often mentioned for Kansas City. A lot of people would feel better about the team’s needs heading into the draft if the team made more additions, but NFL teams aren’t necessarily looking at it that way at this point of the year.
Right now, teams are playing a numbers game and balancing compensatory free agents versus non-compensatory free agents. With the most recent signings in Kansas City (Ronald Jones and Taylor Stallworth) their contracts didn’t qualify them for the compensatory pick formula.
A team like the Chiefs stands to lose compensatory draft capital in 2023 if they were to make another free agent signing ahead of the draft. The benefit of waiting to sign a player like Gilmore or Ingram after the draft is that on May 10, those signings will no longer count toward the compensatory pick formula, even if they sign a contract that would previously qualify them.
Players who are looking for more than a minimum contract are aware of this. They know they might have to wait until after the draft to get the best possible contract they can when compensatory picks will no longer be a factor. You can expect a miniature second wave of free agency to happen shortly after the draft. How things go for Kansas City in terms of addressing some needs will determine just how active the team is in that second wave.
