The Kansas City Chiefs must exhaust all options to find a starting left tackle this offseason. This includes exploring the trade market, as they did when they traded Joe Thuney Wednesday morning, but this time to acquire a player. Luckily for the Chiefs, it seems like one NFC team may be heading towards a rebuild.
On Wednesday, the Seattle Seahawks released long-time receiver Tyler Lockett, and D.K. Metcalf requested a trade. While a Metcalf trade seems unlikely, anything can happen, as we saw with the Thuney trade. With that being said, Kansas City should call and inquire about Seattle’s young left tackle Charles Cross.
Is a Charles Cross Trade the Right Move for Kansas City?
The Seahawks selected Cross 9th overall in the 2022 NFL draft. So far, the 24-year-old hasn’t quite lived up to his draft value. In each of his first three seasons, Cross has allowed five or more sacks and been penalized five or more times.
That said, Cross has shown flashes of great play, especially during this past season. In 2024, Cross had 12 games with a pass block grade of 75.0 or higher, according to PFF. That certainly is promising, especially for a Chiefs team that had a revolving door at left tackle last season.
Seahawks with clean examples of how changing the pullers and down blocks can create more favorable angles up front.
Love watching Charles Cross (#67) on these. pic.twitter.com/hXirEA9ImS
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) December 12, 2024
Nevertheless, Cross allowed six sacks, five QB hits, 36 QB hurries and 47 QB pressures. Those stats seem to slightly contradict that his pass blocking improved in 2024. As a result, Chiefs fans have every right to be wary of this potential trade.
Despite that, Kansas City isn’t in the best position at left tackle right now, so if Cross provides good upside and the Seahawks don’t want too much for him, then the Chiefs should take it.
In all likelihood, though, Seattle isn’t likely to be looking to get rid of Cross, given how hard it is to find average offensive tackles. If the team is looking at a full rebuild though and doesn’t want to commit significant money to the position, it’s possible a deal could be made.
