Kansas City Chiefs: KC Should Pick Up Johnthan Banks
By Ben Almquist
The Kansas City Chiefs are in need of help at cornerback. Recently released Johnthan Banks could provide a boost to a secondary in need of depth.
The Kansas City Chiefs have run into a number of issues at the cornerback position so far in 2016. It was expected that this young group would go through some growing pains this year. However, there is no way the Chiefs expected the number of problems they have encountered so far. Now KC is in need of some help. That help might come in the form of Johnthan Banks.
Johnthan Banks was recently waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The former second round pick began his career with a lot of promise, recording seven interceptions in his first two seasons. However, over the past year and a half, Banks has not seen a lot of playing time. The Bucs have steadily reduced his workload to the point he was a healthy scratch last week.
On its surface, that doesn’t sound like the kind of player that could provide a lot of help to the Chiefs. However, KC doesn’t need a starting corner. The Chiefs have their starters in Marcus Peters and Steven Nelson. Instead, it is on the depth chart where Kansas City could stand to add some reliable talent.
The #Bucs have waived CB Johnthan Banks. Interesting.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 31, 2016
Problem After Problem
The Kansas City Chiefs got to this position through a multitude of issues. The most veteran corner on the roster, Phillip Gaines, has been dealing with injuries all year. Rookie DJ White now has his own injury concerns with a broken hand. However, these issues are made that much worse by the surprising, and still unexplained, release of third round pick Keivarae Russell.
That leaves the Chiefs with just Marcus Peters, Steven Nelson, and Kenneth Acker as reliably healthy options at this point. Clearly that is not ideal. Fortunately, Phillip Gaines was able to play last week. It is also possible that DJ White could play again soon with some sort of protective cast. However, neither player can be considered reliable moving forward.
This is made all the more frustrating by the fact that the Chiefs got to this point after making two big decisions at corner this offseason. The first of those decisions was to allow Sean Smith to leave in Free Agency. That was followed up by the trade of Marcus Cooper to Arizona. That’s not to say either move was wrong. Hindsight is 20/20, and the decisions were correct at the time they were made. Still, it leaves the Chiefs in a tough spot with no clear solution.
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Standing Pat?
General Manager John Dorsey and the Kansas City Chiefs front office may simply decide to stand pat for now. The Chiefs are 5-2 right now, riding a three game winning streak. Over that streak, the defense has played very well. So there is a very good chance the Chiefs decide they don’t need any additional help.
Of course, most of the fan base won’t agree with that…at least for now. Results will ultimately determine right or wrong on any decision made. Hopefully, whatever the Chiefs decide to go with will be the right course of action and get the team to the Super Bowl. This is a good squad either way, and has the talent to win. It would just be nice to have that extra security.
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The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to contend for a championship this year. Some more depth in the secondary would be a welcome addition to help secure that goal. Johnthan Banks may be the answer to the Chiefs needs. It’s on John Dorsey to make the decision.