Dee Ford will be Chiefs’ most important player at training camp
After an impressive 2016 season, followed by a quiet 2017 season, 2018 is a crucial year for Dee Ford, and it starts at training camp.
Since 2011, the Kansas City Chiefs have been known for having one of the best pass-rushing duos in the NFL in Justin Houston and Tamba Hali. Both players made the Pro Bowl together from 2012 through 2015. The two combined for 117.5 sacks as teammates, from the time Houston got drafted in 2011 until Hali’s release this offseason.
Now, the Chiefs are hoping either Dee Ford or second-round draft pick Breeland Speaks can replace Hali and provide the same success Kansas City has had defensively upfront. Ford, who is entering his fifth season in the league, has had an up-and-down career.
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As Kansas City’s first-round selection in 2014, Ford played limited snaps behind two Pro Bowlers at outside linebacker. Appearing in all 16 games, Ford logged 8 tackles and 1.5 sacks as a rookie. Filling in while Houston was injured, he showed flashes during a 10-game winning streak with 23 tackles and four sacks.
With Houston absent for the first half of 2016, Ford, at one point leading the league, collected 10 sacks in the first 10 weeks. After that, he only managed to get half of a sack in the playoff loss to Pittsburgh.
Ford was active for six games in the first eight weeks in 2017, starting in all of them. Ford said in April that his leg went numb last year, causing him to miss 10 games. He also said he felt “excellent” and was excited to return to action. Earlier this week, Ford said that he has returned to full form with training camp about to get underway.
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Without a first-round pick and the Chiefs using their first draft pick on an outside linebacker in Speaks, Ford knows it is important for him to have a good training camp. With Houston expected to start in Week 1, Ford is expected to start opposite of him. But it is key for Ford to do well in St. Joseph and be in his 2016 form on a consistent level to help Kansas City’s defense return to its ways of constantly pressuring quarterbacks and getting lots of sacks.