The Kansas City Chiefs already boast one of the best defenses in the NFL, but their pass rush could use some help after defensive end Charles Omenihu tore his ACL in last January’s AFC Championship Game.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport thinks the Chiefs should pursue a trade for New England Patriots edge rusher Matthew Judon.
Judon is preparing to enter the final year of his deal, and given that the Patriots are clearly rebuilding, he doesn’t really fit the team’s timeline any longer.
That could certainly make him expendable. He is also only making $6.5 million in base salary in 2024, which could make him very attractive to rival ballclubs.
The Chiefs Could Swing a Trade For Matthew Judon
Davenport suggests that the Chiefs send a 2025 fourth-round draft pick and a 2026 fifth-rounder to the Patriots in exchange for Judon.
That seems like a rather cheap price given his status, but it’s important to note that Judon is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he played just four games due to a torn pectoral muscle.
Judon was still productive when he was on the field last season, logging 13 tackles and four sacks.
The 31-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Grand Valley State, was originally selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
He spent the first five years of his career with the Ravens, making a couple of Pro Bowl appearances at the end of his tenure with the squad. His best season in Baltimore came in 2019, when he registered 54 tackles, 9.5 sacks and four forced fumbles.
Still, as good as Judon was with the Ravens, he didn’t truly break out until he got to New England in 2021.
In Judon’s debut campaign with the Pats, he rattled off 60 tackles, 12.5 sacks and a fumble recovery en route to another Pro Bowl selection. Then, the following year, Judon had his best season to date, racking up 60 stops, 15.5 sacks, a couple of forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He made the Pro Bowl yet again.
Prior to 2023, Judon had also been very durable, having missed a grand total of five games throughout his NFL career, so it’s not like he is injury prone.
Kansas City ranked second in the league with 57 sacks this past year, but Omenihu logged seven of those. The Chiefs will have to find a way to replace that production. They can always find an answer internally, but if they can swing a trade for Judon, it would instantly bolster what is already a great defensive unit.
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