Chiefs Pushed to 'Kick the Tires' on Former First-Round Talent Free Agent

Getty

Former Jacksonville Jaguars first-round pick Taven Bryan was identified as a free agent candidate for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs still have a few areas of the 90-man roster that could potentially use free agent reinforcements ahead of training camp, and defensive tackle is one of them.

To that end, A-to-Z Sports Kansas City reporter Charles Goldman suggested that the Chiefs “kick the tires” on former Jacksonville Jaguars first-round pick Taven Bryan on July 14.

“A former first-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018, Bryan worked under Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen when he was defensive coordinator for the Jags in 2021,” Goldman began, noting the KC coaching link.

“Bryan would start 16 games for the Cleveland Browns in 2022 and recorded 26 total tackles, two tackles for loss, three sacks, and 23 total pressures,” the reporter continued. “He spent the last two seasons in Indianapolis, where he appeared in 34 games, starting 13 of them.”

Goldman concluded that Bryan has “never played in a playoff game before, and I tend to believe he’d raise the floor for the interior defensive line group at training camp, just for a shot to join a perennial playoff team.”

Does Free Agent Taven Bryan Plug the Right D-Tackle Hole for the Chiefs?

Bryan never quite lived up to his draft status, but he has turned into a solid NFL contributor who has suited up for 113 outings since 2018, starting 46 of them.

The question is: Does he plug the right hole for the Chiefs?

Between Chris Jones, Jerry Tillery and rookie Omarr Norman-Lott, Kansas City has interior defensive linemen who can rush the passer. What they really need is another run-stuffer and nose tackle who can rotate in for Mike Pennel, or hold down the fort if he suffers an injury.

One of either Fabien Lovett Sr. or Marlon Tuipulotu is seemingly in line to compete for this role at Chiefs camp, as things currently stand.

Bryan does have 24 career tackles for a loss, but he doesn’t necessarily solve this problem.

According to Pro Football Focus, Bryan has only lined up in the A-Gap 71 times throughout his career, compared to 1,849 snaps in the B-Gap and another 767 over the tackle. PFF also hasn’t credited him with a run defense grade higher than 60.0 out of 100 since 2019, giving him higher marks as a pass rusher.

That’s not to say Bryan couldn’t help the defensive line in general, but he’s a bit undersized for a nose tackle role.

For those reasons, there may be other free agents who would serve more of a purpose in KC. For example, Heavy came up with a different free agent suggestion at defensive tackle on June 30.

Chiefs Must Sign Another Defensive Tackle Before Training Camp

It’s debatable whether or not Bryan is the right choice, but Goldman is definitely right about the Chiefs needing another defensive tackle for training camp.

Kansas City is very thin in this area when healthy, and an injury or two could turn the middle of the defensive trenches into a gaping hole. Considering Jones just turned 31 years old, and Pennel is 34, this could very quickly become a major issue if things go south.

Ironically, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has already taken a flier on one former first-round talent at DT this spring, signing Tillery. It wouldn’t be a total shock if he hedged his bets with another, bringing in Bryan.

Of course, other options are still available in free agency if Veach chooses to go another route.

Michael Obermuller covers the NFL for Heavy Sports, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus include the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers, with expert knowledge on each based on years of coverage. Michael is an NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate. More about Michael Obermuller