Impending free agent Rasheed Walker is arguably the best offensive tackle set to hit the open market, and he should draw plenty of interest if he doesn’t re-sign with the Green Bay Packers. A seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Penn State product began his career as a backup but earned a starting job in 2023. Since then, Walker has established himself as a good but not great starting-caliber tackle who can keep his quarterback safe but struggles to consistently create lanes in the run game.
Rasheed Walker is not a perfect player, but starting-caliber offensive tackles are hard to find. Over half the teams in the league will probably give a passing glance at Walker in free agency, but Jason La Canfora believes the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots are two of his top suitors.
Chiefs, Patriots Connected to Free Agent Rasheed Walker
This is an interesting fit for both teams, as the Chiefs and Patriots both used their first-round picks last year on left tackles. Walker has only played left tackle throughout his career, so signing him would likely mean moving the 2024 first-round picks to a different position.
Will Campbell had a disastrous playoff run culminating in a terrible Super Bowl performance against the Seattle Seahawks, but it’s worth noting he was playing hurt. The offensive tackle landed on the injured reserve late in the regular season and only just returned for the playoffs. Campbell was playing mostly good football prior to his injury, albeit he didn’t always face the toughest competition.
New England currently has veteran Morgan Moses at right tackle, and he’s under contract for the next two seasons. Moses had a strong first campaign with the Patriots, and it would be surprising to see New England move him anywhere. If the Patriots get Walker, perhaps Campbell will move to left guard, and 2024 third-round pick Jared Wilson will move to center. While giving up on Campbell at tackle after one season is a questionable decision, it would give New England a fantastic offensive line heading into 2026.
Josh Simmons
Josh Simmons didn’t set the world on fire as a rookie, but he did enough to earn another shot at tackle in 2026. The same cannot be said, however, of Jawaan Taylor, as the free agent bust had another disastrous season trying to keep Patrick Mahomes upright. Kansas City will likely move on from the high-priced tackle in the coming weeks, which means they’ll need to find a new right tackle.
The most likely fix is Jaylon Moore. Much like Simmons, the former 49er didn’t look like a future Hall of Famer last year, but he’s a perfectly adequate tackle. However, if this team wants to shoot for upside, they’ll sign Rasheed Walker as a free agent and move Simmons to the right side of the line. Combining these two tackles with one of the better interior offensive lines in football should do wonders for Mahomes as he works his way back from a torn ACL.
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