The weeping and mourning can be heard all over Kansas City as fans have lost their most accessible and favorite defensive lineman in Shaun Smith, the always honest, always open, always entertaining defensive lineman. What will also be missed is his aggressive, versatile game that will certainly be a boost to the Tennessee Titans up front.
New head coach Mike Munchak has to be happy with the addition to the Titans roster, and he joins a solid young nucleus that also includes Derrick Morgan, Tony Brown and Jason Jones. For the Chiefs, Smith might have been deemed expendable given the imports of new linemen like Allen Bailey and Jerrelle Powe, although certainly there was room for Smith given the loss of Ron Edwards. Maybe it just came down to fit and money.
For Smith, it’s clear that he will be dearly missed after one memorable year in Kansas City. Officially, Smith had a nice year on the line with 56 tackles and 1 sack. Unofficially, it was his witty comments on Twitter and a willingness to speak his mind in an oft-silent Chiefs environment that made him so endearing. And who can forget Grabgate in the game against the 49ers?
At this point, expect the Chiefs to bring in another defensive linemen since adding only two rookies plus undrafted free agents to Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson isn’t going to get the job done. Tully Banta-Cain and Aubrayo Franklin have both been rumored, so maybe one or two are coming in. That still doesn’t ease the loss of Smith to the Titans. It’d be my guess that Titans fans are going to feel the same way this time next year about the chance of Smith leaving if it’s only a one-year deal with Tennessee.