Chiefs Sign First Round Pick Jonathan Baldwin, Several Free Agents

Kansas City has signed its first round pick from the 2011 draft. The Chiefs reached terms with WR Jonathan Baldwin, inking the former Pittsburgh star to a four year deal with an option for a fifth season.

While the news was expected, the Chiefs can breath a sigh of relief now that the team doesn't have to suffer through a messy holdout from its top draft selection. Despite being a rookie, Baldwin is expected to be an immediate contributor to Kansas City's offense, pairing with pro bowler Dwayne Bowe and the newly acquired Steve Breaston to give the Chiefs one of the strongest WR corps it has had in years.

Signing Baldwin means that Kansas City has now come to terms with every one of its draft picks except Justin Houston. Houston, a defensive end selected in the third round out of Georgia, was expected to contend for some serious playing time this season, and should be a priority for the Chiefs now that Baldwin is signed.

Apart from Breaston, the Chiefs also announced several other roster additions - all players who played for Kansas City last year. The team will be bringing back center Casey Wiegmann, tight end Leonard Pope, wide receiver Terrance Copper, running back Jackie Battle, safety Jon McGraw, cornerback Travis Daniels and tackle Ryan O'Callaghan. Fullback Mike Cox signed his restricted free agent tender, while safety Reshard Langford signed an exclusive rights free agent tender. The team released 2008 third round pick Brad Cottam, who was unable to recover from a serious vertebra injury sustained in 2009.

Chiefs Sign WR Steve Breaston

Heading into this year's crazy free agency period, the Chiefs knew that WR was an area that still needed to be addressed. Kansas City added some much needed help to its wideout corps today by signing former Arizona Cardinal WR Steve Breaston to a five year deal.

This deal makes a lot of sense for both Kansas City and Breaston. The Chiefs needed a player who has some experience, but still has a fairly long career ahead of them. Breaston has been in the league for only four years, but has been productive. He was slowed by injuries last season, but still managed to post 47 receptions for 718 yards (despite having Derek Anderson as his quarterback). Breaston's best season came in 2008, when he snagged 77 receptions for 1,006 yards.

Breaston also finds himself in a much better situation in Kansas City. He has played for Todd Haley before and knows the coach's offense. Better yet, he is going to a team that has a lot of offensive firepower and an established quarterback.

Now that Kansas City has addressed its biggest need on offense, the team can focus on giving its defense a boost. Expect the Chiefs to make a run at a nose tackle or linebacker sometime over the next couple of days.