NFL Rumors: Why the Chiefs should sign CB Stephon Gilmore
Stephon Gilmore's release from the New England Patriots came as a surprise across the entire NFL on Wednesday morning. Gilmore was arguably the best cornerback in the NFL in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
He made the first-team All-Pro both years and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.
Stephon Gilmore will have plenty of teams interested in him now that he's available. But no one should be more interested in pursuing him harder than the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs are Super Bowl contenders but have lost two games this year in large part to their defense.
A stunner: Patriots are releasing four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who was eligible to come off the Physically Unable to Perform List after Week 6, source tells ESPN. https://t.co/31H8KQF8hq
Why the cornerback-deprived Chiefs should sign Stephon Gilmore
The Chiefs should sign Stephon Gilmore because their pass defense has struggled this season. They are allowing 291.8 passing yards per game, the fifth-highest number in the NFL.
Last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, Jalen Hurts threw for 387 yards. Even though a lot of it came in garbage time, it's still a sign of how bad the Chiefs defense is at stopping the pass.
They allowed Justin Herbert to throw a near-flawless game in Week 3. Outside of Tyrann Mathieu's two interceptions against Lamar Jackson, the Chiefs have only one other interception this year.
Most forced incompletions over the last five seasons:
1. Stephon Gilmore: 81
2. Darius Slay: 77
2. Malcolm Butler: 77
4. Casey Hayward Jr: 69
5. Bradley Roby: 67 https://t.co/XJM2v2LrQU
Mike Hughes has been a valuable buy-low free-agent pickup for the Chiefs. He's the Chiefs' highest-graded player in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. But outside of him, L'Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton have struggled.
Stephon Gilmore had six interceptions in 2019 as well as 20 pass breakups in 2019 and 2018. The Chiefs need their defense to cause more turnovers, and Gilmore could be a game-changer in that regard.
Gilmore's presence in the secondary could free up the Chiefs to blitz more as well. The Chiefs' pass rush has struggled to generate pressure. That's in large part due to having to drop defenders into coverage to play their zone scheme. Gilmore's ability to shadow wide receivers would be a huge addition to Steve Spagnulo's defense.
Stephon Gilmore's contract is a one-year deal.
From @GMFB: The #Patriots released CB Stephon Gilmore after months of contract-related frustration that saw no end in sight. https://t.co/rxeswEr5TY
His contract is only a one-year deal and is the reason the Patriots cut ties with him. The Chiefs wouldn't have to commit long-term to the 31-year-old. They would have preferred to see how Gilmore performed before deciding to offer a longer-term contract extension after the season.
The Chiefs do have enough cap space to sign Gilmore. They should be at the front of the line to do so. The opportunity to sign a former defensive player of the year from just two seasons ago in the middle of the season doesn't come around often.