Kansas City Chiefs: Does Bob Sutton have enough personnel to succeed

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Big Names In Their Prime and Rookie Contracts

When Bob Sutton came to Kansas City, the defensive side of the ball had some remarkable talent for him to work with. It’s not something you would expect with a team that just went 2-14 the season prior. Given the amount of talent that Sutton walked into, I don’t see how a coordinator wouldn’t have success.

On defense alone, the Chiefs had four players made the Pro Bowl in 2012. Those players include Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Justin Houston, and Eric Berry. Outside linebacker Tamba Hali was aging, but still producing solid numbers. The dynamic duo of Hali and Houston was argued as the best pass rushing duo in the league back in 2013.

Another force along the front was defensive tackle Dontari Poe. Before Poe began to have back problems, he was a force in the middle for the Kansas City defense. On the back end of the defense, the team had versatility at the safety position with players like Husain Abdullah. Sutton is known for moving his safeties down into coverage and inside the box for run support and having Berry matched up with Abdullah; he had more room to work with.

At the cornerback position, Sean Smith was in his prime, and following the departure of Brandon Flowers, the team picked up Marcus Peters in the first round of the 2015 draft. Every level of the defense had big stars that were playing in their prime. With that being said, Sutton hasn’t had the same type of talent the last two seasons.

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Over the past couple of seasons, the defensive side of the ball has seen injuries to some of their biggest players. Both Eric Berry and Justin Houston have missed a considerable amount of time the last two seasons. Houston wasn’t able to play till late in the 2016 season, and Berry went down for the season in Week 1 of last year.

Former general manager John Dorsey refused to sign either player until the last minute which cost the team as well. Both players were forced to prove it in a franchise tag year, and they each had the best seasons of their careers.

The team was able to spend money around the defense to surround players like Houston and Berry with talent, but since signing their lucrative contracts, that money is hard to come by. Houston signed a deal following his 22 sack season in 2014 for six years worth $101 million. Just last offseason, Berry signed his mega deal of six years and $78 million.

With two players on the defensive side of the ball making quarterback like money, it’s hard to bolster the rest of the defense with proven talent. Instead, the team is forced to rely on the draft to bring in considerable talent. With the Chiefs making the playoffs almost every season, they aren’t picking high either.

Dorsey missed on his first-round selection of outside linebacker Dee Ford in 2014. He would then signed Hali to another big deal while not playing many snaps for the defense. With Hali, Houston, and Berry all taking up considerable amounts of CAP room, it hurt the team, even more, considering that all three have missed significant amounts of time over the past two seasons.

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