Which 2016 free agent should the Chiefs re-sign?

After the 2015 season finishes, there are four prominent members of the Kansas City Chiefs defense that are unrestricted free agents. Sean Smith, Derrick Johnson, Eric Berry, and Tamba Hali all have contracts that expire this offseason, and all have played a huge part in the Chiefs success over the past few seasons. So which one of the four do you keep if you can only keep one?

Derrick Johnson

Johnson has been absolutely great as a Chief. From the day he was drafted he came in and was a huge part of every defense he was on. Every part of me wants to see Johnson retire as a Chief. He was one of the only bright spots on teams that struggled year in and year out. Unfortunately, I am not going to base my decision on past contributions. If I had to re-sign one of these guys Johnson would not be the one. Johnson will turn 33 years old this November, and building a defense around him would not be practical at this point.

Tamba Hali

Hali has been a terror for opposing offensive linemen over the past nine seasons. He has consistently gotten after quarterbacks and disrupted offenses from the defensive end and outside linebacker positions. Hali is another guy that I would love to see retire as a Chief, and hopefully he does but for the sake of my little hypothetical, he would not. Hali is another guy that has played good football for bad teams. There were some good years, but the bad definitely outweighs them. Hali is on the wrong side of 30 and his best football may be behind him.

Sean Smith

Smith has been a big contributor to the Chiefs defense since he was picked up in free agency in 2013. He has really come on lately and is a top-five cornerback on Madden 16. If Smith keeps playing ball like he has been, he could be looking at a pretty large contract next year. The only thing that could hurt him in negotiations (apart from a bad year) would be his DUI suspension that is costing him the first three games of 2015. While Smith is a great football player, I would not be re-signing him after this season.

Eric Berry

Berry is a complete safety that has been a huge contributor in both the running and passing defense. He has been a huge part of the team and community since being drafted in 2010. While we are not sure if he has been slowed down at all after defeating cancer, reports are that he hasn’t lost a step during chemotherapy and actually gained weight. That shows you what this guy is all about. He is going to give his heart and soul every play, and do anything he can to play in and win games.

In a league where passing is key, it is important to have a safety that can cover the middle. And on a team where stopping the run is somewhat of a struggle, having a safety that is just as comfortable playing around the line of scrimmage is a huge benefit.

Analysis

I wouldn’t want to make the decision between these four, but if I had to I would take Berry everyday of the week. At the age of 26 it is not unreasonable to expect Berry to be the focal point of a defense for the next seven or eight seasons.