Time for Dee Ford to step up

The Kansas City Chiefs need Dee Ford to become what they envisioned back in the 2014 NFL Draft.

When general manager John Dorsey drafted Dee Ford, it was to replace Tamba Hali at some point. Unfortunately, Ford will be stepping into a starting role come Sept. 2016, but not for Hali. After Tuesday’s announcement that Justin Houston has an ACL injury that will sideline him for another 5-11 months, it is clear that Ford will be seeing a ton of snaps.

Last year, Houston missed the final six games of the regular season and Ford stepped into his role. The results were mixed, with Ford clearly improved in his run and pass defense, but the pass-rush was still lacking to a degree. While Ford id rack up three sacks against Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers, he only had one sack the rest of the season.

Ford needs to become a force off the edge if Houston is going to miss significant time. The Chiefs are trying to win the whole thign in 2016, and will have a tough time doing it if Hali is the only player who can get pressure off the edge. For the former first-round pick out of the University of Auburn, now is the time.