Anytime the New England Patriots let a player go, an automatic filter is in place in NFL circles that has the Kansas City Chiefs considering that player. While it can be a stretch at times, it’s proven to be true quite often — from the team’s starting quarterback (Matt Cassel) to its back-up tackle/tight end hybrid (Steve Maneri). One player who might break free from a long prolific career for the Patriots makes a lot of sense for the Chiefs if Matt Light is going to become a free agent after all.
The report from Ian Rapoport today has the Boston Globe writer guessing that the team’s longtime left tackle is likely to be let go this offseason with rumors that Nate Solder will take over (with Sebastian Vollmer on the other side). The Pats usually have no problem moving on from its veteran players, which means Light could be a free agent.
While many Chiefs fans would cry foul at the idea of taking more leftovers from the Patriots roster, it’s important to keep in mind just how fragile and thin the Chiefs were last year at the tackle position. Despite how poorly he played, Barry Richardson help up on the right side and Branden Albert did the same on the left. When the team released Jared Gaither, Maneri was suddenly the only option in case of injury. That’s a worst case scenario the team cannot afford to repeat.
Even if Light is only around for depth and emergency, he could be the sort of player who could provide experience and talent along the line as KC figures out what it wants to do. It’s possible he could even start if the Chiefs don’t want to make a major draft investment in the position the way the Patriots have in recent seasons.
Albert is versatile and can potentially move to guard. Rodney Hudson is versatile along the interior. There are options for the Chiefs as they add to the line, so it will be interesting to see how things shake out.
At the very least, Light’s name will be mentioned simply because of Pioli’s connection with the Patriots and it’s something to consider when you see how perilously thin the Chiefs depth chart is across the line. Is it likely to happen? There’s absolutely no way of knowing at this point. But as we look forward to the free agency period, it’s interesting to look at the possibilities ahead.