KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs are scheduled to have 15 unrestricted free agents. I’m beginning a list of how those players might rank in terms of attractiveness to other teams if indeed they become free agents. This list includes players ranked from 11 to 15. Look for later rankings of Nos. 6 to 10 and 1 to 5.
15. WR Jason Avant. He still has value to the right team (this would include the Chiefs). He is a strong locker room presence and mentor for younger players and was arguably the Chiefs’ best player in their playoff loss to New England. But Avant turns 33 in April so teams will look elsewhere for help before they turn his way.
14. LB Dezman Moses. He has shown some ability in his three seasons with the Chiefs and he’s only 27. That combination will at least get him into camp with a team, but on a minimum contract.
13. CB Jamell Fleming. Fleming showed enough promise for the Chiefs in 2014 that he was part of the playing rotation early in 2015. But he was horrible and soon the Chiefs gave up on that idea and Fleming became mostly a special teams player. He’ll be 27 in May, so he’ll find a job somewhere as a backup.
12. LB Frank Zombo. Zombo is anyone’s picture of a backup linebacker. For the Chiefs, he played the outside and inside positions. He didn’t kill the Chiefs when they had to go to him because of injuries to Tamba Hali and Justin Houston. He had three sacks for the Chiefs this season, so he has pass-rush ability. Zombo turns 29 in March.
11. S Tyvon Branch. He played a lot as a backup and delivered some big plays, most notably when he returned an interception for a touchdown against the Raiders and a fumble recovery for a score against the Ravens. He proved his durability by playing in all 16 games after getting into just five over the previous two seasons combined when he was with Oakland. He’ll be 30 next season but he’ll be playing somewhere.
