Kansas City Chiefs: 53-man roster predictions following first preseason game
Outside Linebackers
Keep: Justin Houston, Dee Ford, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Breeland Speaks, Frank Zombo
Cut: Tyrone Holmes, Rob McCray
Coming into training camp, I was not expecting Frank Zombo to make this roster. I’m still not convinced that he is a lock for the 53 either. I gave him the nod considering that the Chiefs have rookie Darian O’Daniel at inside linebacker instead of outside.
Justin Houston is ready to get back to form as he enters the season fully healthy. While he played the full season in 2017, he mentioned to reporters that at times he felt like he was playing on one leg. Houston will be accompanied by Dee Ford who returns after a back injury kept him out for most of last season. How much Ford will be on the field will depend on younger talents progress.
Must Read. Time is now for players on the roster bubble to make some noise. light
Ford is not only an injury prone player that can’t be expected to make it a full season in 2018, but he’s still a liability against the run game. Teams direct their rushing attack at Ford continuously and we saw more of that in the one drive Ford was on the field against the Texans.
Breeland Speaks and Tanoh Kpassagnon are battling to take time away from Ford this season. Both are already better against the run game than Ford which will ensure them some early-down snaps. Kpassagnon showed some development at the end of last season but will have an uphill climb to beat out Speaks for more playing time in 2018.
Speaks, the first player drafted by Veach, came out of college with more technique that Kpassagnon. He’s more NFL ready but has plenty of development of his own that needs to be worked through before he is a sure starter. I liked Speaks as a defensive end next to Chris Jones when looking at his college tape, but could easily see him getting some playing time over Ford in early down situations.