Kansas City Chiefs: This defense is better than last year’s defense
By Chris Taylor
The Kansas City Chiefs could be special in 2018. The defense is thought to be the one ingredient that could hold them back from a deep playoff run.
When the Kansas City Chiefs traded Alex Smith for Kendall Fuller and a draft pick, the thought of Fuller teamed up with Marcus Peters was extremely exciting. That was washed away shortly after when Peters was shipped to Los Angeles.
The offseason also saw the release and potential retirement of ROLB Tamba Hali and the release of Derrick Johnson. Both of these fellows will be honored at some point by the Kansas City Chiefs when their names are placed on the ring of honor.
Bennie Logan wasn’t re-signed, neither was Terrance Mitchell or Kevin Pierre-Lewis. Panic started to build momentum as the defense looked bare. The cries of fans could be heard for miles as the draft approached, and their voices were heard. Every single player picked was a defensive player in college.
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The defense slowly started to take shape throughout the offseason. Anthony Hitchens was added to replace Kevin Pierre-Lewis, David Amerson was added to replace one of the many cornerbacks that weren’t returning. Xavier Williams was signed in place of Logan, and now the voids started to disappear.
There are healthy, legit position battles all across the defensive side of the ball. Chris Jones and Allen Bailey secure the defensive end position. Justin Houston, Reggie Ragland, and Hitchens are three of your starting four linebackers. Eric Berry returns from his season-ending ACL injury, which is still the biggest addition to the defense this season.
Williams will battle Derrick Naadi for the starting defensive tackle spot and Dee Ford returns with Breeland Speaks breathing down his neck for the spot left by Hali. Armani Watts will likely replace Ron Parker at the other safety position as a rookie.
On the 24th, Bashaud Breeland was in St. Joe visiting the Chiefs training camp. As of 1 am on the 25th he is still in town. If the Chiefs are able to sign Breeland, the final concern for the Chiefs defense will no longer exist.
As a whole, with or without Breeland, the defensive unit is better than who they were in 2017. Breeland would definitely leave a good taste among fans, but this squad could run circles around last year’s defense.
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These Chiefs are a playoff team, without question. The defense will be able to do enough to make a significant impact.