Chiefs Mythbusters: Why the defense will be better in 2018
By Thomas Welte
The Offseason
The move that dominates the conversation is the Marcus Peters trade, and rightfully so. The Chiefs shipped off Peters to the Rams for a 4th round pick in the 2017 NFL draft, and a 2nd round pick in 2018. If you follow the Chiefs closely this trade has been dissected and speculated on more than any other move this offseason. We will never know the full truth behind the deal, but it appeared to be an inevitable break up and general manager Brett Veach was proactive in getting a return for a great player.
The Chiefs also saw the departure of previously mentioned veteran players Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, and Ron Parker. These moves were a combination of overinflated contracts handed out by the old regime, and a noticeable drop in performance from these players. Bennie Logan was allowed to walk after signing a one year deal last year. Logan was underwhelming in 2017 and looked out of place as a base nose tackle, and lacked the athleticism to be moved around the defensive front.
In total, the Chiefs lost 4 starters from their 28th ranked defense. If the Chiefs had a dominant, top ranked defense then losing 4 starters would be a real issue. However, when you perform as poorly as the Chiefs did in 2017, it may just be a case of addition by subtraction.
The Chiefs were active in adding players on defense to counteract these departures. They managed to sign Anthony Hitchens to start inside next to Reggie Ragland. Kansas City got what I believe to be a steal of a deal by bringing defensive tackle Xavier Williams over from Arizona. The Chiefs added David Amerson, who has shown flashes in his career but will have to prove himself in a new system. The Redskins sent Kendall Fuller over in the Alex Smith trade. Finally, the Chiefs spent 5 of their 6 draft picks on defensive players. We will take a closer look at these additions and their roles on the next page.