Kansas City Chiefs need to keep Eric Berry and Dee Ford

Since the bitter loss to the New England Patriots in the Championship game, Kansas City Chiefs fans have called for heads to roll more than the Queen of Hearts.

The first of which that the Kansas City Chiefs let go was ex-DC Bob Sutton, two days after the overtime loss.

It was after that decisive cut that fans eyes fell squarely on the shoulders of outside linebacker, Dee Ford. In the final minute of the fourth quarter, Tom Brady was intercepted by Charvarius Ward, in a play that would have ended the game, and sent the Chiefs to the Superbowl.

Seconds tick by.

Flag on the play.

Dee Ford is called with an off-sides penalty, negating the interception, and putting the ball back in the hands of Tom Brady. We all know how the rest of that game turned out.

Fans across social media are calling for Ford to be let go in the upcoming Free Agency. In 2014, Ford signed a 4-year, $8,158,700 contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, including a $4,253,600 signing bonus, $6,206,150 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $2,039,675.

Now standing at the end of that contract, Dee Ford isn’t looking to leave.

"“I would love to come back here,” Ford stated, according to the Kansas City Star. “I would love to be here, but that’s out of my control.”"

Ford has been an absolute stand-out linebacker for the Chiefs. He has struggled with penalties over his career, with three defensive off-sides calls, and two neutral zone infractions this year.

Unfortunately, these penalties often overshadow the success that this guy has had in the 2018 regular season. Ford landed 13 sacks, and forced seven fumbles, being award multiple defensive awards, as AFC Defensive Player of Week 8, and AFC Defensive player of the month in October.

Another veteran that fans are calling to be cut is the notorious safety and defensive back, Eric Berry.

Eric Berry has been with the Kansas City Chiefs since 2010, when he was drafted fifth overall in the first round. Berry has been an icon for the Chiefs, and for Kansas City, over the last several years.

In December of 2014, Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma when an MRI showed a mass growing on the right side of his chest. His recovery and achievements afterwards are exceptional, and has won Eric Berry admiration of fans and players across the league.

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However, due to Eric Berry’s salary, whispers around social media are calling for Berry to be cut to make space for newer talent. In 2017, Eric Berry signed a 6 year, $78,000,000 contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, including a $20,000,000 signing bonus, $40,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $13,000,000. That is a lot of cap space freed up, and according to 12Up, is one of the reasons, among others, that Berry should be let go.

Over the last two seasons, Berry has battled severe injuries. In 2017, Berry ruptured his Achilles tendon in the 42 – 27 win over the New England Patriots in the season opener. In the 2018 regular season, Berry continued his slow recovery, and battled a heel condition called haglund’s deformity. Earlier in his career, in 2011, Berry also suffered a torn ACL early in the season that kept him out for the rest of the year.

Eric Berry has a lot of talent left in him, and showed what he is capable of when he returned to the field late in the regular season. He had a low-impact on the ball in the two games he played in the 2018 season, but his presence on field could be felt by the entire defensive secondary. By making strong, on-field adjustments in-game, Berry acted more like a Defensive Coordinator than a safety.

These two veterans are titans of the game, and they should both be considered for the long-term success of the team.

Next. Every Chiefs First Round Pick Since 2000. dark

With the guidance of the new DC Steve Spagnuolo, these players will be able to mold flawlessly into the 4 – 3 over defensive scheme. Add in a few key pick-ups in the free agency, and some new talent from the 2019 NFL Draft, and the Kansas City Chiefs defense will be on par with the talent of the their powerful offense.

For more content like this, follow me on Twitter @CKMurphy96, and let me know who you think the Chiefs need on the team.

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