Kansas City Chiefs: Five most disappointing players in 2018
By John McCarty
With the end of the Kansas City Chiefs season, we cast a glance back at the players in 2018 whose on-field performance left us wanting more and perhaps worried about what is to come in the future.
Disappointment sinks in when a season ends with a home playoff defeat. Players we’ve loved seeing perhaps have played their last games for the Kansas City Chiefs while some players inability to make plays, especially at crunch time, shows up when they are invisible during the evening.
However, over the course of the season, there are some players whose on-field production and performance left us wanting more, left us wondering what went wrong. With that in mind, we look at players whose play was simply not up to par.
MOST DISAPPOINTING CHIEFS IN 2018
NUMBER FIVE – BREELAND SPEAKS
Breeland Speaks was the Chiefs first selection in the 2018 draft, taken with the 46th overall selection after Brett Veach and the Chief felt it necessary to trade up from 54 to take the Ole Miss defensive lineman. The Chiefs did not have a first round pick, so Speaks was the first to go to the Chiefs in the draft.
Repeating the decision of the 2017 draft in selecting a defensive lineman with hopes of edge defender conversion, the move yielded little in results and showed little promise for the future.
Perhaps the Chiefs will put Speaks into his more natural defensive end position as Allen Bailey‘s contract is set to expire. In all, Speaks’ impact was minimal at best, yielding only 24 total tackles and 1.5 sacks on a defense that was not only needing, but craving production and youth.
The Chiefs will be in a tough spot, as Speaks showed little ability to play the edge, especially as a pass rusher. Both Dee Ford and Bailey are free agents and it’d be surprising if both returned.
Where does Speaks line up next season and can he find playing time on a bad defense next season? If he doesn’t, well, things are going to get worse before they get better.