KC Chiefs: Expectations For Second Year Players
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford (55) – Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The KC Chiefs had just six picks in the 2014 NFL Draft, and after one full year of pro football under their belts, those guys are ready for year two of the NFL. The Chiefs also signed several undrafted guys who made an impact during their rookie season as well.
I thought it would be interesting write up on what the expectations for these guys are headed into their sophomore season of the NFL.
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Now obviously not all of them got to play during the regular season, but I’m still going to post what their expectations are for next season or if they’ll even make the 2015 roster.
Let’s start with Kansas City’s first round pick in 2014.
A lot of Kansas City Chiefs fans were surprised when the team selected Dee Ford in the first round of last year’s draft. Kansas City already had two of the best outside linebackers in all of football, so why draft one in the first round?
Many took the selection of Dee Ford as a sign that Tamba Hali would be on his way out of KC after mentoring Ford for a year, which is not the case. Hali re-structured his contract so that he could remain a Chief.
As big as that was of Hali to do that, what does this mean for year two of the Dee Ford Project? Well, first, the team hopes that Justin Houston will agree to some sort of contract he’s happy with because Houston is without a doubt the best player on the defense.
I don’t anticipate Ford seeing a ton of starting time this season, but that will hinge on how Tamba Hali plays during his 10th season in the league. He only had six sacks last year, but he’s still a leader for this team and is obviously the better option at the moment. If Hali struggles, Ford could see some starting time, but we’ll just see about that one.
In the mean time, Ford can be a nice substitute into games. He had some nice plays last year, but obviously we’ll need to see more from him in year two.
Next: Cornerback Carousel