There was a time when fate of the Kansas City Chiefs was tied to veteran players from the past two regimes. Those players were inherited by head coach Andy Reid and general manager John Dorsey in 2013, and believed to be the key ingredients to becoming a championship-caliber team.
I’m sure you know the names — Justin Houston, Dwayne Bowe, Jamaal Charles, Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Tyson Jackson, Branden Albert, Brandon Flowers and Eric Berry. That was the nucleus of an organization headed for new horizons. Today, just five of those players remain, and only three of them currently occupy prominent roles.
These days, the Chiefs have a very different core comprised of players like Alex Smith, Spencer Ware, Jeremy Maclin, Travis Kelce, Marcus Peters, Jaye Howard and Ron Parker. While the Chiefs are clearly still dependent upon contributions from Houston, Johnson and Berry, there are a number of complementary players who’ve filled other needed roles admirably — in many cases, by much younger players.
Dorsey’s keen eye for player evaluation has helped the franchise extend its window of opportunity. Honestly, how may players in Kansas City’s new core won’t figure into the future? By my count, maybe two: Tamba Hali (on account of age) and Eric Berry (for contract reasons).