Is the Kansas City Chiefs going to take a step back on defense in 2018? An in-depth look at the changes made this offseason.
This offseason every expert and pundit, and your friendly neighborhood Arrowhead Addict contributor, is speculating on what the 2018 NFL season will bring. Amidst that speculation certain talking points get regurgitated and recycled without much examination.
I want to address the idea oft-quoted idea that the Chiefs defense is going to take a step back in 2018, which seems to be the prevailing speculation among talking heads. Let’s take a look at the Chiefs defense, and how the 2017 lineup compares to the projected 2018 lineup.
A messy secondary
If I could sum up the 2017 Chiefs defense in one word it would simply be “messy”. The Chiefs lost Eric Berry to a ruptured Achilles during their week 1 victory in New England. Berry’s injury would force Daniel Sorensen into the starting lineup. We also saw an increase in snaps for second year player Eric Murray. Neither Murray or Sorenson could replicate Berry’s role to any degree and it forced the defense to make some difficult adjustments. Primarily this meant dropping outside linebackers (namely, Justin Houston) back into coverage. Craig Stout from Arrowhead Pride had an excellent breakdown of the cover rate of the Chiefs outside linebackers.
Eric Berry’s injury would not be the only issue in the secondary. The Chiefs went into the season optimistic that journeyman Terrance Mitchell could hold down the outside corner spot opposite Marcus Peters. Mitchell had an up-and-down season and was rotated out for the likes of Kenneth Acker and Phillip Gaines. The Chiefs attempted to cover a bullet wound with a Band-Aid when they brought in Darelle Revis in a desperate attempt to lock down the other half of the field. The revolving door, along with the extended absence of Steven Nelson in the slot, meant the opposing offense simply had to avoid Marcus Peters. A simple gameplan, but it worked more often than not.
Age and Injury
Longtime stalwarts of the Chiefs defense began losing their battle against father time. There was a noticeable lag to Derrick Johnson’s game, especially early in the season. Tamba Hali spent most of the season watching from the sidelines. Ron Parker and Allen Bailey, two starters who played an underrated part in the past success on defense, both struggled. On top of all of this, Dee Ford missed most of the season dealing with a back injury.
The good news
It was not all bad for the Chiefs on defense in 2017, there were some bright spots. Marcus Peters was still a turnover machine, despite having some serious temperament issues on and off the field. Chris Jones emerged in his second year as one of the best 3-4 interior defenders in the game. Reggie Ragland laid the wood and looked like the future leader on the defense. Tanoh Kpassagnon showed a few flashes in the Denver game after switching from a defensive end to an outside linebacker.
Despite these young players contributions the Chiefs finished 28th in total defense according to ESPN. The combination of injuries, age, and under performance left the defense scrambling to adjust and compensate. The Chiefs defense in 2017 was one dimensional, predictable, and, most of all, limited based on the teams personnel.