Kansas City Chiefs: Five Players To Watch Against Chargers

Ron Parker

It’s still an unknown whether or not Eric Berry will play Week 1 against the Chargers. As of Wednesday, Berry was still not practicing with the team leading me to think that he won’t play in the upcoming game. The secondary is going to need all the help they can get which is a big reason the team brought back Ron Parker.

Kansas City was not willing to pay Parker his hefty contract for 2018 which led to him getting cut after refusing to take a pay cut. He took a vet minimum in Atlanta but was unable to make that roster. Bringing him back on a low deal is great for the Chiefs as the safety position was extremely weak during the preseason. Eric Murray and Leon McQuay were in the starting lineup during the preseason, and both looked about unplayable.

Reid talked about Parker playing through a high ankle sprain last season which could indicate some of his declines, but not all of it. I feel better with Parker on the field next to Berry, but fear that without Berry on the field, we will see more decline from Parker. I also would rather watch Armani Watts make mistakes than an aging veteran.

Depending on which Ron Parker we get, 2016 or 2017, will depend on how concerned I am with the defense moving forward. Regardless, Parker remains one of the key players that I will be paying attention to as he comes in as a starter right after being brought back to Kansas City. Can he help the struggling secondary to boost this defense past last seasons struggles or will he be another name that we are screaming in frustration come Sunday afternoon?