Apparently, all the Chiefs needed to green light their offseason plans was an email from the NFL. Since the league confirmed the salary-cap number last week, $279.2 million per team, the Chiefs have welcomed back Travis Kelce, tagged Trey Smith, opted not to extend Isiah Pacheco, and traded their player-voted MVP, Joe Thuney.
Is their next move to pursue Ronnie Stanley? Affirmative, according to Nate Taylor from The Athletic. Taylor said the Chiefs are targeting Monday morning as their goal to have Smith under long-term contract. And after signing Smith, expect Kansas City to stand front and center in the line for the Ravens’ left tackle.
“When free agency begins,” Taylor wrote Wednesday, “the Chiefs will target Ronnie Stanley, the nine-year veteran who is the best left tackle available on the market, according to sources.”
He’s the best on the market in part because, for the first time in that nine-year career last season, Stanley started every game. Prior to that, his list of assorted injuries since entering the NFL in 2016 looked like a receipt from CVS. One of those injuries, a season-ending fractured ankle, came days after he signed a five-year contract extension in 2020 and affected him for two years. He also turns 31 later this month.
Still, Stanley looks like a fantastic option compared to Kansas City’s porous tackle situation last season. Pro Football Focus gave Stanley a 70.7 overall grade last year, his best in three years, and he allowed three sacks.
From Kansas City’s perspective, the Chiefs still have moves to make to get under that salary cap by Wednesday afternoon’s deadline. According to Over the Cap, they need to shave nearly $3 million. And after dealing Thuney to Chicago, the left side of their offensive line is a huge question mark entering the weekend.
One option to replace Thuney is Kingsley Suamataia, Kansas City’s second-round selection in the 2024 draft. Penei Sewell’s cousin, Suamataia opened his rookie season as the Chiefs’ starting left tackle but Andy Reid benched him after just two games. The Chiefs could improve their return on investment if they can successfully transition him to left guard.
The Chiefs don’t have a game until September, so expect Brett Veach and the front office to navigate that road just as they did after their prior Super Bowl loss. If they’re able to free up funds to sign Stanley, it wouldn’t be the first time the Chiefs have tapped the Baltimore roster for a key pillar on their offensive line.
But they’ll surely have competition, including Stanley’s incumbent team. No one expects Lamar Jackson and the Ravens to gift-wrap their left tackle, especially for a fellow AFC heavyweight.
