The best undrafted free agents in Kansas City Chiefs history
1. Deron Cherry
As a former AFL club and having won only one Super Bowl (prior to this year), the Chiefs have more Hall of Fame snubs than any other team in the NFL. This is especially true of the era of Chiefs football from 1980-2000, during which only two long-time players from those rosters have been inducted (Derrick Thomas and Tony Gonzalez).
One of the many that deserve consideration from those teams is safety Deron Cherry. A punter and safety for Rutgers University, Cherry went undrafted in the 1981 draft and signed with Kansas City as a UDFA shortly after. Despite the signing, the 1979 Rutgers team MVP was cut from the roster prior to the season commencing. He re-signed with the team and the rest is history.
Cherry played for the Chiefs for 11 seasons during which time he accumulated 50 interceptions, the third most in team history. Cherry earned Pro Bowl selections in six consecutive seasons from 1983-1988, and was named a 1st Team All-Pro in three of those seasons.
Cherry was a great Chief and was integral in helping to steer the Chiefs defense though a rocky decade. Despite the team’s shortcomings, he and fellow defensive back Albert Lewis formed one of the best corner-safety tandems in team history.
Cherry could easily be a Pro Football Hall of Famer, but for now, he’s a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2nd Team All-Decade roster of the 1980’s, Pro Football Reference’s 1st Team All-Decade of the 1980’s, and a Chiefs Hall of Famer. He is, also, unquestionably one of the best UDFAs in team history.