Will pending free agent CB Charvarius Ward be back with the Chiefs in 2022?

The Kansas City Chiefs are out to improve their roster during the course of the 2022 NFL offseason. Part of that will be retaining key players on offense, defense and special teams. One player who poses a tough decision for Brett Veach and company is CB Charvarius Ward.

The team shipped off a late-round draft pick for Ward in an unprecedented draft pick for undrafted free agent trade ahead of the 2018 NFL season. He spent the majority of his rookie season riding the bench as a healthy scratch until an injury to Kendall Fuller opened an opportunity for Ward to get some starting time. Ever since then, Ward has been a defensive fixture in Kansas City, starting 41 regular-season games over the past three seasons.

This past year was one of his best statistically, with 67 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions and 10 passes defended in 12 games started. He allowed just a 77 passer rating into his coverage with 36 receptions allowed all season long. Pro Football Focus even named him the team’s most improved player from 2020 to 2021.

With all of this in mind, Ward is due for a big payday should he hit free agency. It’s going to force the Chiefs into a bind, one where they’ll have to decide if this cornerstone of their defense for the past three seasons can be extended on a long-term contract. Projections from Spotrac show that Ward could earn up to $9.9M per year annually on the open market in free agency this offseason. That’d probably be a little rich for the Chiefs, but it’s not out of the question that they could make it work if they wanted to.

Speaking to reporters at the end of the season, Veach was complimentary of Ward and the job he’s done for the team. He said they’d like to talk to Ward, but he quickly changed the discussion to focus on young corners L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton. Specifically, on the CB situation in free agency, Veach mentioned that it’s not a cheap position. Reading between the lines, it feels like he’s expecting Ward to hit free agency and to be paid a lot by another team. It also sounds like the team might not be too active in the CB market in general.

I have to wonder if the team’s success identifying cornerback talent in the late rounds and undrafted free agency has Veach a bit overconfident in their ability to replace a key piece like Ward. That said, there is at least some evidence that suggests Kansas City has the better of their cornerbacks from 2021 under contract in 2022.

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