Five things to love about Chiefs Jarran Reed signing

The free will period for the Kansas City Chiefs was finally broken with a big name signing. Former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed agreed to a one-year contract with the Chiefs on Sunday night, adding to an already heavy defensive line unit.

2021 will be Reed’s sixth season in the NFL; he will be 29 by the end of the regular season. He has been a consistent and well-known force in the Seattle defense over the past three seasons, and now he will help the Chiefs improve in an area they disappointed in 2020.

To dig deeper, I singled out five things that I like about the signature:

1. The talent

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Reed is a legitimate and rushed threat from inside the defensive line. After starting his career with two seasons totaling three sacks, he exploded in 2018 with 10.5 sacks and 50 presses – the 11th most of all defensive tackles in the league this season. After a 2019 season affected by suspension, Reed returned to 2020 with 6.5 sacks and 38 pressures in 16 games.

Two of those sacks were recorded against Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in Week 9 – including a very impressive rep against Bills goaltender JR Sweezy:

He also performed well as a race defender. He’s a top-level defensive lineman who gives the Chiefs the potential of a starting four from Frank Clark, Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi and Reed.

The next point explains how this can be possible.

2. The impact on Chris Jones

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As news broke on Sunday night of the signing, ESPN analyst and former NFL player Louis Riddick raised an interesting point:

Jones and Derrick Nnadi have been the early starters inside the Chiefs’ line for the past two seasons. In the middle of the 2019 season, the Chiefs attempted to bring Jones up on the edge of the defensive line, but the effectiveness was minimal. However, there is a difference in trying to move this time around.

Jones was in a year of contract in 2019. His negotiations prevented him from training off-season before training camp. This does not leave enough time for a first year staff member to teach them a new position. On top of that, there is some reluctance to play it defensively before a contract negotiation; he would then be able to demand final defensive money.

Now the staff and the player know each other, Jones has signed a long-term contract and they have a whole offseason to work on a possible change in his role.

3. The contract

It was the type of deal we initially thought we would see in the offseason jump: Reed signed for a year up to $ 7 million – only $ 5 million is guaranteed. The term and dollar amount make it a low risk investment, but it makes even more sense with the cap space Kansas City currently has.

We know they were knocked out in the initial wave of top free agents, but it allows them to recruit other talented players to positions where the needs are less urgent. Inside the defensive line was one of the strongest positions on the team before Free Will, but that should never stop a team from adding to it if that makes sense.

Maybe this deal won’t happen if the chefs are tighter in the cap room, but they had it. Go spend it over a year from a talented player in one of the most important positions in the NFL to have depth.

Plus, the one-year deal motivates him to produce and seek a multi-year deal the next offseason at 29.

4. Familiarity with Frank Clark

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The best season of his career for Reed dates back to 2018 – last year he shared a locker room with new teammate Frank Clark. Clark and Reed played three seasons together in Seattle. In this past season, Reed’s 10.5 sacks combined with Clark’s 13 sacks to add up to 23.5 sacks – one of the highest totals among NFL sleight-of-hand duos this year. the.

Like every position in football, there is importance to the chemistry between the players who play close to each other on the pitch. When Reed and Clark are lined up next to each other at the defensive end and defensive tackle for a passing situation, twists and stunts are theoretically easier to perform when players are comfortable. with each other’s playing style.

Especially for a position that requires high effort to be successful, it’s an added benefit for a player to play alongside people they want to give that extra ounce of energy to.

5. The leaders stick to their plan

For Bob Fescoe from 610 Sports, Reed was a highly sought after target in the open market.

It has become apparent that the Chiefs and general manager Brett Veach are setting their goal on particular players they want to add – and don’t panic – sign another player in the same position when that doesn’t work. They may have missed Trent Williams and JuJu Smith-Schuster – but they continued their roster of talented players. When they want a particular player, they’ll fight competing suitors until the very end to lock their guy up. That’s what they did with Reed, and it turns out he just signed rather than re-signed like other players have.

As Pete Sweeney touched on last week, the Chiefs are sticking to a plan that extends beyond 2021. Instead of eagerly signing other players to positions they initially cut, they have decided to improve in another important place without sacrificing anything in the long run. -term.