Kansas City Chiefs: Who’s Making The Grade?
Aug 7, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey (97) pressures Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jason Campbell (17) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive Line
Making the Grade
Allen Bailey: +2.0 overall grade
With Mike DeVito and Mike Catapano missing time with injuries and illness, Bailey has seen a lot of action with the first string and has made the most of it. Bailey hasn’t been spectacular, but his positive grades in both pass rush and run defense have proven that he can stay on the field in most situations.
Vance Walker: +4.5 overall grade
Surprisingly, Walker has largely seen his playing time with the second string defensive rotation. So Walker is another player that has earned a very high grade playing against second and third string competition. Still, Walker has graded out very well in both run defense and rushing the passer. It appears that KC will have a pretty deep defensive line rotation this season which is always a good thing.
Missing the Mark
Dontari Poe: -0.5 overall grade
Whoa, whoa, whoa….did I really just put Dontari Poe on the “Missing the Mark” list? Well, yes, but let me explain. Poe hasn’t been bad this preseason, he just hasn’t been the dominant player that we all expect him to be. In fact, of the defensive linemen that are expected to make the 53 man roster, Poe currently has the lowest PFF grade. The most surprising thing to me is that he has a run defense grade of -1.5. I’ll admit that I haven’t been watching Poe a lot during the preseason because I’ve been keeping my eye on other positions. I do remember one Jonathan Stewart TD run in the Carolina game where Poe was pushed out of the way, but that’s about it. I’m not worried about Poe yet, but it is something to keep in the back of your mind once the regular season starts.
Next up, the linebackers…….