Kansas City Chiefs: Replacing Derrick Johnson Should Come From Within
By Ben Almquist
The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t come out of Thursday night completely unscathed. Here is how the Chiefs can replace the loss of Derrick Johnson.
Look, you’re not going to just “replace” Kanas City Chiefs star inside linebacker Derrick Johnson. He is too good a player, too talented an athlete, and too important a leader for anyone to just fill in. However, the Chiefs will have to find a suitable substitute for all of those things to finish out the 2016 season, including what we hope is a deep playoff run to the Super Bowl.
Injuries are a part of the game when it comes to football. Chiefs fans should be well aware of that by now after how banged up this team has been in 2016. Of course, these injuries do still hurt and many players are difficult to fill in for. That is especially true with a player that wears as many hats as Derrick Johnson does.
Derrick Johnson isn’t just a starting inside linebacker. With his athleticism, he is able to stay on the field for the Chiefs in virtually every single formation and situation. His talent makes him a threat to create a big play for the defense on every down. Most of all, Johnson’s leadership serves as a good influence and presence on a roster with so much youth.
Once surgery finished, Derrick Johnson intends to help #Chiefs LBS prep for SB run. "My job now is to help us get a ring any way possible."
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) December 9, 2016
There have been a lot of suggestions about how the Chiefs should go about filling the role that Johnson played for this team. Most of these suggestions revolve around available free agents that the Chiefs could sign. However, I think that this would be a mistake. In my eyes, the Chiefs best options for replacing Derrick Johnson come from within the organization.