After trading away a big-money offensive lineman contract in the form of Joe Thuney, the Kansas City Chiefs have been linked to trade for a different big-money offensive lineman.
Thuney, who was earning $16m a year, was moved to the Chicago Bears as Kansas City dealt with something of a cap crunch.
But with the Chiefs still in need of some upgrades at offensive line, they could begin looking around the league for a partner.
In an article for Pro Football Network, writer Brandon Austin believes the Chiefs could find that help in the form of Cleveland Browns pending free agent Wyatt Teller.
Teller, a two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro-Bowler, is entering the final year of a $57million deal and carries a $14.175m cap hit.
PFN named Kansas City as a potential trade destination, especially considering the various offensive line issues they experienced last season.
The outlet points out that if the Browns move Teller after June 1, they could save $7m in cap room while taking on $19.2m in dead cap through 2028.
While Teller does play right guard, the publication thinks his versatility could allow him to slot in on the left side of the line where Kansas City needs more help.
But in order to facilitate that, the Chiefs would need to make a trade that would balance their books.
Currently, Kansas City has the fourth-least cap space in the NFL at $11.25m.
Not only is that roughly $3m short of Teller’s contract, it would also severely hamper the Chiefs’ ability to make a mid-season move.
Of course, this all depends on who or what Kansas City sends to Cleveland as part of this deal.
The Chiefs’ offensive line issues were clearest in their Super Bowl LIX defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles – who sacked Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes six times, despite not calling one single blitz.
