With Jones being moved as an inside/edge player and Clark facing legal troubles, should the Chiefs bring in former First-Team All-Pro vet Vic Beasley?
Hello again everyone and welcome to another week of the ArrowChop! This is the column where we look at the positives/negatives of a certain Chiefs/NFL issue and look at both sides of the aisle. Then you, the readers, will come to your conclusions after I lay out the case. So sit back, relax, and enjoy as we break down this week’s hot topic.
Among all the core groups on the defense, the main concern comes from the defensive end side of the field. While the Chiefs drafted Joshua Kaindoh in the fourth round and still have former sixth-round pick, Mike Danna, the Chiefs are in a bit of a situation with Frank Clark going through legal troubles after he was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm, which was a submachine gun. The Chiefs need to explore options just in case things go south in the Clark situation.
In comes Vic Beasley Jr, who led the league in sacks in 2016 with 15.5 and led the league in forced fumbles with six. He was elected to Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors that year. In light of the current situation at the defensive end, should the Chiefs bring in Beasley? Let’s break down both sides of the aisle to find out:
The Chiefs should sign Beasley
This side believes so as such:
Firstly, Beasley would add much-needed veteran depth to the Chiefs’ roster at the defensive end spot. Aside from Clark, the only players who have true NFL experience are Taco Charlton; the rest of the d-ends on the roster only have one combined start. They need another leader in that defensive line, and Beasley can be it, principally if Clark is suspended for any amount of time (which is most likely). While it would be nice to see what Danna or Tim Ward could do to surprise us this season, it’d be nice to add more veteran depth in a group that highly lacks it.
Adding onto this, Jones is being set to move as an edge/inside rusher. The Chiefs would need someone to bolster the end spot when Jones is playing on the inside; Beasley would be able to do just that.
Secondly, he would be cheap to sign. His last contract was with the Chiefs AFC West rivals, the Oakland Raiders, where he signed a one-year, $990k contract; however, he only collected $160,588 of that contract since he was released from the Raiders practice squad. A vet minimum contract would bring him on board to prove he still has enough in the tank to see a semblance of that All-Pro 2016 season; the Chiefs still have $8.3 million in cap space, so it would be a low-risk, high-reward signing.
The Chiefs shouldn’t sign Beasley
This side believes so as such:
Firstly, he has been on a downward trend ever since his 2016 season. In the past four years, he has only attributed 18 sacks, with zero coming in 2020 when he was with the Titans and Raiders where he played five games each. He also had only three tackles combined with a forced fumble in 2020; he was also on the Raiders’ practice squad in the latter half of 2020. His highest amount of sacks was in 2019 where he had eight with 42 combined tackles. This is not the career you’d expect from a former All-Pro to fall like this; he is a shell of what he once was, and it hurts to see.
Secondly, there is a much better defensive end that is still in free agency; that player is three-time Pro Bowler Melvin Ingram. Ingram had an injury-riddled season after being placed on IR on two occasions through Weeks 3-5 (Right Knee Patella Sprain) and Weeks 12-17 (Reaggrevated Right Knee Patella Sprain), which affected his production in games he played after his first time on IR.
With him now healed up, he could easily be a starter at LDE. He made three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2017-2019, and with 24.5 sacks the past four years, he is a much better player than Beasley all around, but especially in the pass rush. He’d be a bit more expensive, but it would be worth the extra money for a one-year deal.
Do you think the Chiefs will sign Beasley? Leave a comment down below to join the discussion, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @HunterStanton8 and @ArrowheadLive. Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic day.
NO INGRAM A BETTER CHOICE