Sean Smith: How important is re-signing the corner?

The Kansas City Chiefs are going into 2015 with an interesting situation concerning talented cornerback Sean Smith. The Chiefs have once again been put in a position where a player is getting better by the year and their delay in re-signing them to an extended contract may have cost them. Let’s reflect back.

Justin Houston was drafted in 2011 and performed nicely each year up to when his contract ended after the 2014 season. Following the 2013 campaign, it was clear Houston wanted to start talking about a new contract. He had vastly outperformed his rookie contract, showcasing his talent with 11 sacks in 11 games played that season. His play graded him out with the highest Pro Football Focus score among outside linebackers in a 3-4 scheme with a +31.9 score for the season.

Kansas City didn’t get the deal done with Houston then, and Houston made the front office pay with an NFL-best 22 sacks. This time, he led all at his position with a PFF mark of +51.1, some 25 points higher than the man in second place.

Now, as the Chiefs are trying to figure how to get Houston signed to a long-term contract, one wonders if they are in the exact same predicament with Smith. In 2013, Smith had a sub-par season and was working with some of the second-string team in the 2014 training camp.

After a shaky training camp, things didn’t get better in Kansas City’s first regular-season game against the Tennessee Titans. According to PFF, Jake Locker completed five of seven passes against Smith for 52 yards and two touchdowns. PFF handed Smith his worst grade of the season with a -2.3.

Then, like a fictional heart-warming story of an athlete that had everything going against them but persevered into success, Smith flipped the on switch. From that point on, Smith was devastatingly good. To shed some more light on his success, Smith held the league’s most productive wide receiver, Antonio Brown, to his personal lowest (72 yards) of the season when they played.

Smith’s resurgence helped the Chiefs go from the 25th-ranked pass defense in 2013 to ranking second in 2014, despite Brandon Flowers’ departure. Smith ended the 2014 season with PFF’s fifth-best grade among corners with a +17.0 score. His best PFF grade of the season was the Monday Night Football thrashing of the Patriots, notching a +3.5. Although Kansas City didn’t make it to the postseason, Smith’s resurgence was one of the bright spots of the season. Going into 2015, Smith is considered one of the key pieces to the Chiefs passing defense unlike the season before.

In the NFL Draft, the Chiefs still felt obligated to go with a corner in the first round with the selection of Marcus Peters. Is it merely a coincidence that the Chiefs selected Dee Ford in the 2014 draft after failing to get a contract done with Houston? Hopefully that’s all it is. The team would fare much better having having both of these players on defense as they collectively make the unit much more difficult to match up w

Of course, there has been a setback with Smith, as he may be facing a two-game suspension for the DUI charge he was given last summer. This could be why the Chiefs have held off giving the 27-year-old veteran a contract extension. They may want to see this isn’t going to be a problem moving forward before handing out a big check.

It is in Kansas City’s best interest to keep their most talented players they have to continue their upward trend in competitiveness. Some talented players have their baggage like Denver’s corner back Aqib Talb. With that said, it didn’t stop good teams like New England and Denver from paying him for his professional services. If Smith can continue the performance from last year he’s a 9-10 million dollar a year corner back. The Chiefs need to pull the trigger sooner than later to avoid another possible  Houston predicament.