Quote:
Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501
I know this is a conspiracy theory, but I still feel like Andy Reid was building someone else's defense. Either he had confidence Sutton could run a 4-3 similar to Jim Johnson's. Or he was hoping someone like Spags, McDermott, Rivera would become available. Hitch, Speaks, O'Daniel are better fits for this type of defense vs Sutton's. The coaches complaining about Sutton misusing Kpass says something too. Feel like 2018 was supposed to be a transition year for the D. They just never expected the offense to be this damn good so fast.
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There was obviously something at play. You don't draft or acquire personnel suited for a 4-3 unless you're planning on heading that way. I'm thinking that Reid and Clark probably had some serious talks about the defense during the 2018 off season and probably decided that new blood was going to be a priority if Sutton didn't start trending back upward in '18. But I think more than anything that Reid's #1 priority for the upcoming 2018 season was to get to work with his Uber-QB and begin putting together a complete vision for his offense with Mahomes as the centerpiece. And with that in mind, he probably DIDN'T want to transition in 2018 and have to juggle TWO massive undertakings in one season.
Clark and Reid probably both agreed that a switch back to a 4-3 would be a more copacetic tandem with Andy's vision for the team, and that BDB had proven itself a road to nowhere for the Chiefs.
My best guess is that Andy, with Clark's blessing, began a dialogue with Spags and maybe some of the other names you mentioned probably around February or March of 18, just trying to get a casual feel for who might have interest. And armed with enough feelers to move forward, instructed Veach to start acquiring the talent necessary. Even if those players might struggle or could only be used effectively in certain packages for the time-being, they would be in the house, signed, and have a full season as Chiefs under their belts in preparation for what was coming down the pike.