The Kansas City Chiefs have lost two of their most important defensive lineman in the last three days. Ron Edwards has continued on to the Carolina Panthers and just this morning, Shaun Smith agreed to terms with the Tennessee Titans. The defensive line was already a part of the team that was thought by fans as a 'need' area in which San Francisco 49ers nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin seemed to fit a need.
Now that two important pieces are missing on the DL the Chiefs must have a plan in place to strengthen this part of the roster. Whether it's adding a free agent nose tackle like Franklin, Kelly Gregg, Pat Williams or Brandon Mebane, or maybe they have higher hopes for Jerrel Powe and Allen Bailey. Either way, the absence of a free agent nose tackle is starting to weigh on Chiefs fans and Aubrayo Franklin's decision will have a major impact on the psyche of Chiefs fans. Especially now with the decision of Shaun Smith.
This is similar to years' past when fans thought that Scott Pioli would make a big splash in free agency and it never happened. The difference this year with the salary floor is that the Chiefs have to spend a certain amount of money. All reports say that the Chiefs still have plenty of money to spend and with the soon-to-be expiring contracts of Tamba Hali, Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr and Dwayne Bowe, maybe the Chiefs plan on extending the contracts of these players and not making a huge splash in free agency.
The release of Brian Waters was surprising in that it wasn't necessarily expected. The Chiefs front office has a habit of being secretive and if they weren't, this probably would have been known for a while. Brian Waters saw the rise and fall and rise again of a Chiefs organization that is in-debted to a man that will be revered in Kansas City for as long as fans continue to talk about the soon-to-be ring of honor player. Players like Brian Waters are what make successful franchises and hopefully his leadership and intangibles have rubbed off on Jon Asamoah, as it's his time now in Kansas City.
Although Asamoah does bring a youthful talent to the offensive line, adding a fullback like LeRon McClain will solidify the Chiefs running attack for years to come. It's not every day that you can make a strength of your team even stronger, but the Chiefs have that opportunity.