Our journey through the best players and stories with each jersey number in Kansas City Chiefs history has arrived at No. 23. There's no Hall of Famer here. There's not even a Ring of Honor member. In fact, you won't even find a single Pro Bowler. Instead, there's a college football scandal, a former phone salesman who won Comeback Player of the Year, and a real debate over who is the best to ever wear the number.
The complete history of Chiefs players to wear No. 23
The Best (Right Now): Patrick Surtain
Patrick Surtain (the first) arrived in Kansas City as the centerpiece of general manager Carl Peterson's frantic 2005 offseason, as the Chiefs were desperate to help a lopsided team with a loaded offense. Peterson sent a second-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for Surtain, reloading the defense with safety Sammy Knight and linebacker Kendrell Bell. The Chiefs gave Surtain a big-money extension that made him the third most expensive corner in football, but his prime years were behind him. No one can sneer at the on-field results by themselves—with 8 interceptions and solid coverage over 55 games—but the shadow of that salary cap hit loomed large. Surtain was fresh off of making three consecutive Pro Bowls before coming to K.C., but he would never make another. Now, his son is making memories at Arrowhead as the best cornerback in the NFL playing for a division rival in Denver. The original Surtain was a respectable performer who could never live up to the billing.
The (Likely Future Best: Drue Tranquill
If some Chiefs fans wanted to argue for Drue Tranquill as the best to ever wear No. 23, there's room to do so. He turned a one-year prove-it deal in 2023 into a three-year extension after his well-rounded skills and obvious leadership were just what a younger linebacking corps needed (Nick Bolton and Leo Chenal). He has a championship ring and was oh-so-close to another. He has 275 career tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, and 8 .5 sacks in three seasons so far in K.C. What keeps him from passing Surtain is that the corner held down the unit while Tranquill is arguably third in the pecking order of his own position and injuries have limited him at times. But another solid season should put him over the top.
The Epic Turnaround: Barry Word
On May 20, 1990, Barry Word was officially employed as a long-distance telephone company salesman. On May 21, Word was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Word was the ACC Player of the Year at Virginia after rushing for over 1,200 yards. The New Orleans Saints drafted him in the third round in '86, but after getting busted on cocaine distribution charges, he was sent to prison for five months. The Saints retained his rights, and Word ended up joining them for the '87 season. After falling down the depth chart, he was out in New Orleans, and tryouts with the Steelers and Cowboys didn't work. Then Marty Schottenheimer sent for him after spending time with him, with the belief that he could help the offense.
Less than five months later, Word broke a franchise record with 200 rushing yards on 18 carries. He earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year after racking up 1,015 rushing yards. Together with Christian Okoye, the Chiefs boasted the league's most thunderous backfield for a three-year stretch, and Word remains a Chiefs Ambassador to this day.
The Storm Survivor: Kendrick Lewis
In the 2010 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected two safeties. The first was superstar Eric Berry. The second was always overlooked. But after watching his childhood home destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, shortly before his senior year of high school, Kendrick Lewis already knew a thing or two about overcoming circumstances. Lewis would not only go on to start 10 games in his rookie season across from Berry but he became the long-term starter for the rest of his rookie deal before going on to do the same with the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, and Tennessee Titans. In four seasons with K.C., Lewis would deflect 22 passes, intercept 7 more, and force 2 fumbles.
The Scandal: Bert Coan
Before Bert Coan ever wore a Chiefs uniform, he stood at the center of one of college football's bigger historical scandals. While still a freshman at TCU in the late '50s, Kansas booster Bud Adams paid for Coan's trip to a college all-star game in Chicago. When Coan transferred to play for the Jayhawks and helped the team beat Missouri in 1960, the Big Eight ruled him ineligible, which forced KU to forfeit the win. Kansas and Missouri still count that game differently, and it all makes Coan's pro career an afterthought, despite the fact that he led the AFL in yards/carry in 1966 (5.4). Spent six years in Kansas City and played in Super Bowl I.
Et Cetera
- Derrick Blaylock, RB - Combined with Priest Holmes to set a record with 8 rushing touchdowns against the Falcons in a single game—they had four apiece. The Falcons were the No. 1 rushing defense coming into that game.
- Kendall Fuller, CB - The only player included in the Alex Smith trade with the Washington Commanders only played two seasons in K.C. before heading out in free agency, but he was a feisty slot defender who was an important part of a championship defense. The Chiefs missed him when he left.
- David Hadley, CB - Former Alcorn State star drafted in the third round in 1970 and played two seasons for K.C. before heading north of the border to the CFL.
- Philip Gaines, CB - The 2014 third-rounder from Rice had a stellar pre-draft season to go with his track background, but a torn ACL in 2015 kept him from ever developing into a starter.
- Greg Hill, CB - Some fans will wonder about the position here, but two Greg Hills have played for K.C. over the years—including the one who wore No. 23. Played in 63 games for five seasons in the mid-eighties and came away with 9 interceptions.
- Armani Watts, DB - Special teams performer who was the return on the Marcus Peters trade to Baltimore.
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