Published: March 14, 2013 at 01:57 p.m.
Updated: March 14, 2013 at 05:16 p.m.
The Kansas City Chiefs have done a nice job picking up contributors for low prices in free agency, from Mike DeVito and Dunta Robinson to Anthony Fasano, Donnie Avery and Chase Daniel. On Thursday, the Chiefs made a bigger move.
NFL.com's Albert Breer reported Thursday that the Chiefs reached an agreement with cornerback Sean Smith. David Canter, Smith's agent, quickly took to Twitter to confirm that it was a three-year contract. Breer and NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported it was a three-year deal worth $18 million, with $11 million guaranteed.
Smith was one of our top 15 players available in free agency, but he didn't get the money he was hoping for on the open market. Like so many cornerbacks this year, Smith's market was somewhat slow to develop. He appeared to have strong interest from multiple teams before free agency opened, but the big-dollar contract that he was looking for wasn't available when free agency opened. For this money, we like the move for the Chiefs very much.
Smith is a big, physical cornerback who has shown flashes of brilliance. He's a solid starter at worst and will be paired with one of the NFL's better cornerbacks in Brandon Flowers. Robinson figures to be a nickel back or play safety in Kansas City; he's paid more like a reserve.
When Andy Reid took over as Chiefs coach, there was a lot more work to be done on the offensive side. But there also is the framework in place for a very good defense. Smith should help the Chiefs compete right away under Reid; they might even have enough cornerbacks to slow down the Denver Broncos.