Kansas City Chiefs: Defense isn't bad, just unproven

The Kansas City Chiefs have gotten praise for their offensive moves and criticism for the lack of defensive moves this offseason. This may be unwarranted.

There is much hype about the Kansas City Chiefs offense this season, as well there should be. There aren’t many teams that share the offensive firepower that the Chiefs have. The defense has fans nervous, however.

It has always been an uneducated guess when an entity suggests how something will play out before it has a chance to happen. We all are guilty of this. Nobody ever thought that a No. 16 seed would beat a No.1 seed in college basketball. Nobody thought the United States could have beaten Russia in hockey back in 1980. When Carson Wentz went down, Nobody gave the Eagles even a slim chance to win the Super Bowl just months ago.

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Nobody believes the Chiefs defense will be any good in 2018. In fact, most believe it will be absolutely terrible. Everywhere you look and each conversation you have is met with a “yeah, but.” The offense will be great, and they better be. Because they will have to outscore everyone by scoring points unseen in the Chiefs Kingdom.

Gone are names like Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, and Marcus Peters. Add to the absences of Ron Parker and Bennie Logan and it sure appears on the outside that the Chiefs are in deep trouble. They may be, but that fact isn’t written in stone. The Chiefs defense as of now hasn’t allowed a single score or a single yard.

Unproven

Secondary

The Chiefs have made some additions to fill those holes that were left, and the names aren’t of the household variety either, yet. Kendall Fuller has been one of the best nickel corners in the league, if the Chiefs keep him there they know exactly what they are getting. A future perennial pro-bowler. With Steven Nelson still on the squad, he figures to man one of the three corner spots available.

David Amerson is also a new addition, and even though he hasn’t shown much so far during his time in the league, he could be a slight upgrade at corner depth. Daniel Sorenson didn’t impress last season, but he has shown he is a different player with Eric Berry on the Field. Speaking of Berry, his return from injury may be the biggest addition to this Chiefs team so far. The Chiefs were able to make the playoffs without him, so with him, he may be the equalizer.

Linebackers

Reggie Ragland proved his worth last season. There aren’t too many sources that would suggest otherwise. The Chiefs also still have Justin Houston, who when healthy is one of the best in the league. The rest of the group is another story.

Kansas City brought over Anthony Hitchens from Dallas to play next to Ragland in 2018. The initial reaction was a good one, but as more and more fans from Dallas had nothing good to say about him, minds started to change.

The biggest question mark at linebacker though is Dee Ford.Ford has shown signs of hope during his tenure at Kansas City, but as quickly as he gets support from the fan base, he loses it either to injury or lack of playmaking ability. He’s going to be paid handsomely this year, it will be interesting to see what he does on the field. This should be Ford’s make or break season.

Wildcards in this group include Dadi Nicholas and Tanoh Kpassagnoh. If either of these young guys can contribute it will take the pressure off those playing in front of them.

Defensive Line

Chris Jones is an absolute monster. Those lining up next to him are a different kind of scary. Allen Bailey was anything but impressive in 2017, but in the past, he has shown what a force he can be. Xavier Williams is new, and as of now, he is the starting nose tackle. His numbers aren’t impressive by any means, but he has talent.

Still to come

It’s possible the Chiefs still make some moves in free agency, but it will take some cuts to bring in someone who you may recognize. All signs in the draft point to the Chiefs drafting defense-heavy, which should be fine with most people vested in the organization.

The Chiefs can easily land a starting nose tackle, corner, linebacker or safety in the first three rounds of the draft, making the defense look much better on paper. That’s a key phrase here, on paper.

This defense could be just fine. It should be just fine. In reality, we all want them to be as efficient as they were last season, which wasn’t all that efficient, to begin with. The plus side, the offense has a chance to not only outperform last years squad with Alex Smith but become one of the best in the NFL.

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This defense has yet to prove anything either way. They aren’t good, they aren’t bad. So before you throw them under the bus, give them a chance. Give upper management a chance. This defense doesn’t have to be a top ten group, they just can’t be a bottom ten group. That isn’t too farfetched to imagine.

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Kansas City Chiefs: Defense isn’t bad, just unproven

By Chris Taylor | Apr 19, 2018