Kansas City Chiefs sign Carlos Dunlap to one-year deal

The Kansas City Chiefs continued to add on the defensive side of the football Thursday, signing veteran pass rusher Carlos Dunlap to a one-year deal. The veteran defender began his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks midway through the 2020 season.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report the news on Thursday:

While starting just two games a season ago, Dunlap played in all 17 games for the Seahawks in 2021, notching 8.5 sacks and 35 total tackles. Those 8.5 sacks were the most posted by Dunlap in a single season since 2019. Dunlap recorded a career-high 13.5 sacks back in 2015.

Dunlap’s best football might be in the rear-view mirror, but he does offer situational pass rusher skills that could be critical for Kansas City as they look to take on a gauntlet of offensive talent in the AFC West. Dunlap can still combine power and technique off the edge, which you can see on this sack of Matthew Stafford from last season. Working against the right tackle, Dunlap slants inside with a rip move and gets into the frame of the tackle, before bullying his way to the quarterback:

That was one of three sacks that Dunlap had in that Week 15 meeting with Stafford and the Rams. On this play from the third quarter, you can see the hand technique as Dunlap fights the left tackle, before again bullying his way to the QB:

Perhaps the best example of his pure power comes from this big play in Seattle’s Week 13 meeting with the San Francisco 49ers. On this play from the third quarter, watch as Dunlap bull rushes the right tackle, driving him into the backfield before getting to Jimmy Garoppolo for the safety:

In Kansas City, he’ll be part of a defensive front looking to stop some of the game’s best passers, as the Chiefs face a pair of games against each of the following quarterbacks: Justin Herbert, Russell Wilson and Derek Carr. Beyond the AFC West, Kansas City also has to face Josh Allen and the Bills, Trey Lance and the 49ers, Matthew Stafford and the Rams, and Joe Burrow and the Bengals.

The organization added George Karlaftis in the first round of the 2022 draft, and has Frank Clark on the edge as well, but in today’s NFL you can never have enough of a pass rush. Dunlap might not be able to give the Chiefs 600 defensive snaps or more at this point in his career, but he offers a powerful presence off the edge in a situational or rotational role.

In what could be a tough division, that might be a huge boost for the Kansas City defense.