The Kansas City Chiefs boast one of the most fierce pass rushes in the NFL, as they have racked up 54 sacks as a team heading into the final week of the regular season. However, you can never have enough pass rushers, and Bleacher Report’s NFL staff sees the Chiefs pursuing another one this offseason.
New York Jets defensive lineman Carl Lawson.
Bleacher Report notes that Lawson will likely represent a cheap option in free agency, as he has been buried in the Jets’ rotation this season and has only logged five tackles in six games.
Rumors swirled about New York potentially trading Lawson at the deadline back in late October, but the Jets ultimately opted to hold on to him.
It has certainly been an unfortunate run for Lawson in New York. He signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the club back in 2021, but he tore his Achilles in training camp going into his first year with the club.
Lawson returned to the field last season and actually had a pretty productive campaign with Gang Green, playing in all 17 games and registering 33 tackles, seven sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. But, for whatever reason, he has not been able to get on the field in 2023.
The 28-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Auburn, was originally selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
He appeared in every contest during his rookie year and was essentially a pass-rush specialist, finishing with 16 tackles and 8.5 sacks. Injuries limited him to just seven games in 2018, but in 2019 and 2020, Lawson carved out a solid niche with the Bengals, totaling 23 tackles and five sacks in the former season and 36 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles in the latter.
While Lawson is by no means an elite pass rusher, he could potentially fit very well in Kansas City. This will especially be true if the Chiefs are able to re-sign star defensive lineman Chris Jones, who is also slated to be a free agent come springtime.
If Lawson can slide in alongside of players like Jones, George Karlaftis III and Michael Danna, he could end up thriving so long as he remains healthy.
Kansas City is 10-6 and captured its eighth straight AFC West division title with a win over Cincinnati this past weekend. The Chiefs will wrap up the regular season when they take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
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