The Kansas City Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in four years this season, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35. A big reason that the Chiefs have had as much sustained success as they have is their ability to adapt and change every offseason. This year, it has been no different.
Kansas City lost a few key contributors this offseason. In free agency, Wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman, offensive tackles Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie, safety Juan Thornhill and defensive tackle Khalen Saunders all departed. After not being able to agree to a restructured contract, Frank Clark was also released, joining Carlos Dunlap in free agency.
The Chiefs signed Charles Omenihu in free agency to help fill the void at defensive end and pass rusher. He will pair with 2022 first-round pick, George Karlaftis, to take on a larger role this season. But, Kansas City should continue seeking out upgrades for their defensive front.
One situation that they should be keeping an eye on is with the Washington Commanders. They have a big decision to make in regard to the fifth-year option on Chase Young’s rookie contract. After that, attention will turn to Montez Sweat.
Sweat had his fifth-year option exercised by the team last offseason and he responded with another strong season. He registered 8.0 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 28 quarterback hits, starting all 17 games. That performance earned him an excellent 86.4 overall grade from PFF.
What could a trade between the Chiefs and Commanders look like? Kansas City could offer the Nos. 31 and 134 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft in exchange for Sweat and the No. 215 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Washington not only picks up another first-round pick in this selection and moves up two rounds, but they also clear some cap space trading Sweat. Set to hit the open market after the season, it would be virtually impossible for the Commanders to pay Sweat and Young after already inking Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne to long-term deals.
For the Chiefs, it feels like a matter of time until they make a trade of some kind. They have 11 selections in the 2023 NFL Draft, so combining some of those in a trade package would make a lot of sense.
There likely won’t be a player available at No. 31 that can have as immediate of an impact as Sweat. He is a great pass rusher and stout defender, evident by his PFF grade. Adding him to replace Clark would help take some pressure off of Karlaftis in his rising role and Omenihu on the edge.
