Every Chiefs free agent signing in 2023 ranked from worst to best

The Chiefs brought in some big names in 2023 free agency but which of their moves were home runs and which were questionable at best?

How do the Super Bowl champs go about setting themselves up for a repeat? That was the question facing Brett Veach, Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs as they went into 2023 NFL free agency with some big questions.

There have been some big-time notable departures for the Chiefs with Orlando Brown Jr., Frank Clark, Khalen Saunders, Juan Thornhill, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Mecole Hardman, among others, all gone now by one manner or another.

One thing that the Chiefs have not done is fill the new void at wide receiver, though they have been connected to the likes of DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. as potential splash moves to deepen the pass-catching group. As of now, though, they have holes left by JuJu and Hardman.

Other than that, though, Kansas City has done a nice job with their moves this offseason to allow them to keep a Super Bowl-caliber roster around Patrick Mahomes. But which free agency moves were the best and which others are lacking? We’re ranking the Chiefs free agent signings for 2023 to figure that out.

Chiefs: Ranking every Kansas City 2023 free agent signing from worst to best

Byron Cowart might not even make the Chiefs 53-man roster

There is truly only one Chiefs free agent signing that just doesn’t compute for me and it’s this one, signing former Colt Byron Cowart to a one-year deal. It’s extremely cheap but I truly don’t know why it was necessary at all.

Yes, Kansas City indeed needs more depth at defensive tackle, but how in the world was Cowart the “best” affordable option to do that? Put simply, he’s been a limited-role player in his career and has struggled to show even remote signs of effectiveness over the past two seasons. Maybe it’s a shot in the dark works out, but I don’t see Cowart even making it out of training camp.

The Chiefs love tight end depth and Blake Bell is a familiar face

Blake Bell has been a familiar presence in the Kansas City offense as part of an oft-revolving trio behind Travis Kelce at tight end. He played only 40 snaps in 2022, though, due to injury but is now coming back on a cheap one-year deal.

What Bell provides is hardly anything sexy for the Chiefs offense as he’s limited, though at times effective, as a receiver. But he’s arguably the best run-blocking tight end on the roster, which gives him a role to play in the attack. As such, this won’t have anyone over the moon, but it’s a smart move in the name of continuity and filling a role.