Tuesday Twitter Poll: Kansas City Chiefs and Tanoh Kpassagnon
By Ben Almquist
Our Tuesday Twitter Poll this week keys in on an important discussion for the Kansas City Chiefs. Is Tanoh Kpassagnon the man to take over at outside linebacker?
One of the biggest holes on the Kansas City Chiefs 2017 team was the outside linebacker spot opposite of Justin Houston. The Chiefs were simply overwhelmed there because there wasn’t a reliable option they could put on the field. It has to be addressed this offseason. Maybe Tanoh Kpassagnon is the answer.
The pass rush of Kansas City used to be the strength of the defense. Teams had to account for the Chiefs getting after the passer on almost every single play. It took a lot of pressure off the rest of the defense. Unfortunately, those days seem to be a thing of the past now.
Kansas City general manager Brett Veach has to find an answer. He’s already addressed a clear hole at cornerback, but there are other issues. Of course, it would be a whole lot easier on him if the answer to this problem is already on the roster. The Chiefs spent a second-round pick on Tanoh Kpassagnon. Hopefully that wasn’t a mistake.
The #Chiefs need an answer at OLB. Dee Ford should be returning. Tanoh Kpassagnon was taken in the 2nd round last year. But is that enough? What is the best answer? #ChiefsKingdom
— KC Kingdom (@KCKingdomFS) February 6, 2018
Can’t Rely On What Isn’t Working
The bottom line for the Kansas City Chiefs is that we simply cannot keep holding out hope for Dee Ford. There just hasn’t been nearly enough from him to show that the Chiefs can continue this investment. Missing out on the majority of this past season isn’t Ford’s fault, but that doesn’t mean it works in his favor either.
On top of that, Kansas City does not have a reliable backup option. Tamba Hali has been worn down by his years in the league and just isn’t reliable anymore. Frank Zombo is a special teams player, and needs to stay there. Dadi Nicolas hasn’t shown us that he can hold his own on the field yet.
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Kansas City absolutely has to do something at outside linebacker this year. We can’t have another season where teams simply isolate Justin Houston without fear. The only thing that will change that situation is if the Chiefs have someone on the other side that can also be a threat. Is Tanoh Kpassagnon that guy?
Have The Chiefs Seen Enough?
The big question here is whether or not the Kansas City Chiefs have seen enough from Tanoh Kpassagnon to have faith in him. Kpassagnon spent this past season learning the outside linebacker spot, and didn’t get a lot of playing time. However, in the Denver game to end the season, he definitely showed some promise.
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That makes it difficult for any speculation on our part regarding this. I have seen a lot of Chiefs fans saying that OLB is a top priority for this offseason. I can certainly understand that line of thinking. In fact, it’s pretty high up there on my draft board. However, that doesn’t mean the KC front office feels the same way.
If the Kansas City coaching staff has seen enough to believe that Tanoh Kpassagnon is the answer there, that would be a huge boost for the Chiefs. They could still use an investment at the position, but not having to go searching for another starter would be big. There are plenty of other areas that could use the attention.
The Kansas City Chiefs have to do something about the edge position. We cannot have another season where teams are simply unafraid to repeatedly attack one side of the defense. Hopefully the answer to the problem is already on the roster in Tanoh Kpassagnon.