In this special offseason series, we analyze the best players in Kansas City Chiefs history to wear every single uniform number. Here’s No. 23.
Let’s wager a guess that this answer will be changing in the next half-decade.
The best Kansas City Chiefs player to ever wear the No. 23 on his uniform isn’t a runaway contest, although like other numbers, it’s also not devoid of options. While none of the players to ever sport the number are Hall of Fame candidates or even close to it, some have enjoyed very fine seasons and/or have great stories to tell. Even then, this one is likely to change.
You can read on for who is the winner and runner-up right now, but in five years, we’ll likely be talking about Kendall Fuller in a much different light. Technically, at this very point, Fuller is nothing. He has zero stats in zero games over zero seasons, but the hype says he’s already the best slot corner in the NFL and it’s only a matter of time until the Chiefs see him at work in their own offense.
Fuller is young, talented and the new anchor for the cornerback group on the team. He’s also the kind of player the Chiefs will likely work hard to lock up for the long haul. Given his talents, if he establishes any longevity with the franchise, we’re going to be talking about him in a whole new way.
The Others
There are quite a few memorable players who have worn No. 23 over the years. Kendrick Lewis was a much better safety than most people remember with 50 starts for the Chiefs during Scott Pioli’s tenure. He had 7 total interceptions in his Chiefs career.
Derrick Blaylock was a gadget sort of role player on offense who wore the number, while Greg Hill worked alongside Deron Cherry in the early to mid ’80s in the secondary. Travis Daniels wore this number for a hot second. Phillip Gaines did, too. Okay, we’ll just stop here, actually.
The Runner-up: Barry Word
At the time, I hated Barry Word.
As a lifelong Christian Okoye fan, there was only room in my heart for one running back, and I especially was not going to like the one guy taking away carries from the Nigerian Nightmare. Looking back now, however, I understand.
Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, the Chiefs had a strong offensive line who blocked for the single greatest running back of all time in Okoye (sorry but it’s true and I’m not even having this debate). The perfect blend of size and speed, however, was also fairly injury prone, which means relying on Okoye to carry the ball for 16 games was a stretch. Enter Barry Word.
Word was actually a nice story if I’d only had the patience and perspective to listen. He’d served five months in prison in ’87 for cocaine distribution and the New Orleans Saints gave him a chance on his release. In ’88, he simply walked away from the Saints after two games when it was clear he was buried on the depth chart and a couple tryouts for other teams fell through. Word ended up sitting out the entire next season (’89), which made teams even more leery to give him a shot. Now he’s not only out of shape but he’s got character concerns and legal history as well.
However, the Chiefs did their homework and signed Word after head coach Marty Schottenheimer had a long conversation with him. One year later, Word was the Comeback Player of the Year in the NFL after he ran 204 times for 1,015 yards and 4 touchdowns. He remained a tandem back with Okoye for the next couple years, giving the Chiefs a dreaded power attack with two beasts to bring down.
The Winner: Patrick Surtain
Word had a nice career with the Chiefs to be sure, but Patrick Surtain played at a higher level for a longer time at a more important position (all of this is subjective, of course).
In 2004, the Chiefs apparently decided that the William Bartee experiment was officially over. The former second round pick never quite emerged as the starting cornerback they’d envisioned, so the Chiefs decided to invest another second round pick in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. In return, they not only received Surtain but they also signed him to a $50 million deal over 7 years.
Surtain had just completed three consecutive Pro Bowl seasons with the Dolphins, so expectations were understandably high in K.C. Surtain never once made another Pro Bowl, but he did lock down an outside corner spot for the Chiefs for the next three seasons (and part of a fourth). He had 28 passes defended, 8 interceptions, and 4 fumbles forced in his four seasons with the Chiefs. Unfortunately these were the Herm Edwards years, which basically meant Surtain lost more and more as time went along.
Still it was an exciting time when the Chiefs traded for a proven performer instead of reaching for another prospect. It took a second rounder but sometimes you just make the investment to get what you know that you need.
Next: The Best to Wear It: No. 22
Congratulations to Patrick Surtain for being the greatest Chiefs player to ever wear the No. 23 on his uniform!