What does the evidence tell us about Breeland Speaks and Tanoh Kpassagnon?

The Kansas City Chiefs have traded away anyone in front of Tanoh Kpassagnon and Breeland Speaks. Does that mean they’re ready?

It’s a good thing that actions speak louder than words, because honestly, it’s hard to procure any real information out of most general managers these days. How does a team go about roster construction is a private question for every NFL franchise, which is why we’re left to read the tea leaves as to what a front office might be thinking about a particular player or position.

For the Kansas City Chiefs, their actions have been particularly loud this offseason on defense. A complete overhaul is being undertaken for new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and general manager Brett Veach proved himself decisive with the release of both Justin Houston and Eric Berry to go along with an unexpected trade of Dee Ford to the San Francisco 49ers. Three defensive pillars were gone in a matter of days—just like that.

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When it comes to Ford and Houston in particular, what are we to intimate from those actions? What do they tell us about the Chiefs plans?

Much of the conjecture about those moves was about the players themselves. Ford was traded because he was a poor fit. Houston was released because the team didn’t believe he was worth the money. Perhaps the Chiefs didn’t trust the health of either player.

But what about the other side? Do those moves communicate anything about the actual position?

Is it possible that Dee Ford was traded because Dee Ford was no longer needed? That might sound weird for a player with his production in 2018, but given the shift in system, it’s possible the Chiefs were confident that they could move on from Ford and not miss a beat, as they say. The same could be said for Houston.

Of course, these solutions aren’t agreed upon in a vacuum. It’s likely that each of these moves were made for multiple reasons. Houston’s health was an issue. He was also very expensive. Houston was also standing in front of multiple high draft investments who need a chance to finally blossom with real game experience—the same that Ford has been given over the last few years.

Is Breeland Speaks ready to settle into a better position in 2019 and make the leap from his freshman year? Is Tanoh Kpassagnon ready to move from developmental project to productive player and make good on his third round investment?

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The front office likely won’t be giving anyone a complete run down on why certain moves were made this offseason, but we can at least intuit something from their actions something about both the player(s) and the position(s). The Chiefs moved on because of concerns with each player, but it could be that they’re also heartened at the position. They have two second round picks who have had time to adjust to the pros, and the Chiefs might secretly be excited about letting them loose for the first time.

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