KC Chiefs: Five most underrated moves of the offseason

Will Parks

Speaking of cheap one-year deals, the Chiefs’ contract with defensive back Will Parks is the exact same as they are paying Jerick McKinnon: one year, $990K. Fortunately, Parks has the same sort of versatile potential and experience to bring some real value to the Chiefs on defense and special teams.

Parks should be a familiar name to Chiefs fans who have already been paying attention to divisional rivals over the last few years. It’s understandable if some members of Chiefs Kingdom have gotten lazy about looking at other AFC West teams in recent years given the dominance—especially the Denver Broncos. But the team’s defense has remained solid even as they’ve lost quite more often than not lately, and Parks has been a valued member of their secondary.

The Broncos selected Parks in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft and he turned into a productive roster addition from the outset on both special teams and in sub packages. He ended up starting 18 games during that time when duty called, especially after Vic Fangio took over.

Last offseason, Parks thought he was going to enjoy a homecoming with the Philadelphia Eagles to return to where he grew up. However, a hamstring injury suffered in the preseason kept him out and disrupted things enough that the Eagles waived him late in the season. The Broncos claimed him but failed to offer him a deal this offseason and the Chiefs signed him instead.

After the Chiefs failed to work out something with slot corner K’Waun Williams, Parks was the next signing, giving them a versatile defensive back who can play in the slot or in a centerfield role. He’s solid in a linebacker/safety sort of hybrid role and should be able to contribute as an experienced special teams player who will compete with Armani Watts for reps as the team’s fourth safety. There’s competition here to be sure and the contract comes with no guarantees, but Parks is an underrated player and could surprise folks in camp.