Chiefs secondary celebrated as one of NFL’s best overall
By Matt Conner
Several NFL sites have ranked the NFL’s secondaries in recent weeks and the Chiefs always come out near the top.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that a defensive unit anchored by elite safety Eric Berry and the brilliant young cornerback Marcus Peters is continually ranked high this offseason among various NFL rankings. As numerous sites have made their lists of the best overall pass coverage units in the league, the Kansas City Chiefs continually rank among the top five or 10 given their talent level in the secondary.
Kenneth Arthur from Sports on Earth is the latest to take on the task, and he places the Chiefs at No. 7 overall. He writes:
"Another secondary with two legitimate superstars and then some questionable starters and backups. Parker is better than most know and led the K.C. secondary in snaps played in 2016."
Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor knows a thing or two about a punishing secondary, especially since he played alongside Troy Polamalu for years. He recently penned a column for NFL.com which put the Chiefs at No. 4 overall. Taylor writes:
"Marcus Peters is a young, premier corner who plays with a lot of confidence. I’ll keep it real simple: Don’t throw to his side, period. But don’t be fooled, as Phillip Gaines is holding his own. Another major threat in this secondary is Eric Berry. He’s one of the few safeties who can cover, hit and play free safety … The more Berry and Parker play together, the better this unit will be."
Nate Davis over at USA Today released his secondary rankings on Wednesday and placed the Chiefs at No. 8 overall. Davis writes:
"Three-time all-pro S Eric Berry is as talented as he is inspirational. CB Marcus Peters could eventually blossom into the NFL’s top corner. But there’s a significant drop-off beyond those two."
More from Arrowhead Addict
- Former Chiefs cornerback in legal trouble in Las Vegas
- Chiefs Kingdom: Get ready to break contract news
- Chiefs news: Travis Kelce wants to host fan ‘chug-off’ in Germany
- Podcast: Breaking down the Chiefs biggest roster battles
- KC Chiefs send Dave Merritt to NFL coaching accelerator
What these analysts all get correct is that Peters and Berry are indeed the stars and will continue to shine if they stay healthy. Peters in particular is entering his third year in the league, an important season where he’s got enough of a body of work to understand the nuances of the playbook more than ever. Berry has been playing at that level for some time, when instincts can take over because the game is familiar enough. For Peters, it could mean taking his game to a Revis-esque level.
What many of these analysts miss, or more likely what they simply don’t have to room to talk about, is that the depth for the Chiefs is very impressive. Ron Parker deserves much more praise but he’ll always stand in Berry’s shadow. Steven Nelson’s first year with starter’s reps was as good as the Chiefs could have hoped for, and he along with Phillip Gaines and Terrance Mitchell give the team several candidates for the next few slots. Dan Sorensen is a playmaker as the third safety who plays a ton in the team’s sub packages, and Eric Murray shows plenty of promise on special teams.
Along with these names are plenty of exciting young players among former draft picks and undrafted free agents, giving the Chiefs a tough call on exactly how many players to carry and who they’ll be able to waive safely to place on the practice squad. Another year for Nelson to shine, for a young unit to grow and for Peters to make the next step and the Chiefs should be regularly mentioned alongside the league’s very best secondaries.