The Kansas City Chiefs will let one important piece of their defense hit free agency the same week they locked down another. A day after making Eric Berry the top-paid safety in the league, the Chiefs have decided not to use the franchise tag on defensive tackle Dontari Poe, according to Ian Rapoport.
Chiefs won’t franchise tag Dontari Poe despite extending Eric Berry
The Chiefs will let a key defensive tackle hit free agency.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Poe has been an anchor in the middle of the Chiefs’ defensive line since being selected with the No. 11 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. The 6’3, 346-pound tackle excels in run defense and manages to stay relatively healthy for a big man, missing just two games in the past five seasons. He went to the Pro Bowl two times and was named a second-team All-Pro in 2013.
Perhaps the highlight of Poe’s career came in the 2016 season, when he threw a touchdown pass to seal a division-clinching victory for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs entered the 2017 offseason with a pretty big salary cap crunch, having just $4.9 million in space, per Over The Cap. The assumption was that they would franchise tag Berry for the second year in a row, but Kansas City managed to hammer out a six-year deal with its star safety before the deadline.
There’s still a chance the Chiefs can re-sign Poe when the new league year starts on March 9, but for now, he is headed to the open market.
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