NSLU Sunday:
Secondary Players Come to Camp
by David Bell
To level set first things first: Marcus Peters has departed the kingdom. His talent and ability to ball-hawk will be sorely missed. The rest of his play and sideline/off-the-field behavior? Not so much.
The Secondary suffered altogether with Berry injured in 2017. He is returned and by all known standards and reports, he is already in top form. I can accept that report and statements by various Chiefs staff to be the truth. Ron Parker has departed as have several other players who did not live up to the bargain that Brett Veach was looking for.
Below, I provide a glimpse of things yet to come without players whose game has come to full fruition. When all the discourse was going on after the 2017 season and into the draft, the Chiefs were deemed to have big needs with players having departed. Almost all of that was on the defensive side of the ball. Friday, I covered what I thought about the player mix at OLB which is also an “exposure” or weakness area. In February? I identified NT, ILB, OLB, CB, and Safety as being the primary position needs of the Chiefs defense. I believe that Brett Veach has covered the NT position with two players, Xavier Williams and Derrick Ndadi. At ILB, about which I frequently discussed as an exposure, especially in terms of no one to counter the set back suffered by DJ, Veach brought in Anthony Hitchens. At Corner? One problem solved with the Smith trade and obtaining Kendall Fuller. Having Eric Berry back addresses one safety but that still leaves 3 secondary positions plus quality depth as big question marks.
Where the Secondary Stands, First Day of Camp
Eric Berry (SS 6-‘0″-212, 29 – UTenn) – Returning after missing essentially a complete season. His leadership on the field was missed, his reading plays, calling defense sets and playing up in the box was a huge deficit in 2017. Having him back, at full form and still only age 29 is going to make a big difference in toughness and overall defense in 2018. Count on it. I don’t think anyone questions Berry’s leadership and bonafides. [Top Quality Starter and team Leader]
Kendall Fuller (CB, 5’11”-198, 23 – Vtech– round 3 pick by the Redskins in 2016) – Fuller was acquired in the Alex Smith Trade with the Washington Redskins. I believe both team will consider this an “ace of trades”. The Redskins sorely need a mature QB and they acquired Smith coming off of a career year and tops in the NFL in several categories.
Brett Veach brought a top Cornerback to KC, strengthening a very weak group of players which was sans a top corner and the #2 safety. Fuller played mostly in the slot and secondary coach Al Harris stated that he would be used at his strongest position which is as the slot CB. Fuller was rated the top CB for the role by PFF in 2017. This should not be construed to state that he cannot play outside. His metrics are solid and it would be a shift from the prior season but he can certain and did certainly play outside at times for the Redskins. I do not believe that Fuller replaces the ball-hawking of Marcus Peters. He brings a better over-all game to town and I can’t say how many times I was yelling at the TV screen when Peters drifted away from making contact or tried to strip the ball rather than making a tackle to stop a receiver solidly. [Top Quality Starter]
From this point on, you have players who have started but how well they do, especially the new comers and existing players drafted by John Dorsey or Brett Veach remains a question. What follows is a brief on each.
David Amerson (6’1″-205 , 26 — NC State, 6th year pro, signed by Veach ) – Amerson had a down season in 2017. We all have been introduced to that fact. in 2014-16 h was a starter but in 2017 he only logged 6 games and was benched. I cannot account for the downturn but there was something going on with the Raiders and it wasn’t good. A fresh start may be just what the doctor ordered. He may not ever be a pro bowl player but he can play solidly outside if you toss out the 2017 season. started and 2016, Amerson played well with the Raiders, even logging 2 INTs his first year in. In the 3 years mentioned, he logged 48 pass defenses and 6 Ints. [Hopeful situation as noted. Has the ability to hold down the position as a starter, but we need to see that 2017 was an aberration]
Steven Nelson (CB, 5’11”-194, 25– Oregon S, 4th yr pro, drafted by Dorsey) – Nelson’s 2017 season was shortened due to injury. He started 7 of 8 games when he got to the field in week 8 vs the Broncos. injury. Prior to 2017, he was showing growth and maturing in his coverage. Downside? He doesn’t play the ball well and has not recorded interceptions. Too, his 2016 and 17 seasons saw the overall downturn in the secondary’s defense. It appears that the coaching staff is looking to play him outside opposite Amerson. [has shown good result in the slot. We have not seen him much outside. [Hopeful development from a Dorsey Drafted Player]
Eric Murray (S, 5’11”-199, 24–Minnesota, 3rd Yr Pro, drafted by Dorsey) – Murray has never jumped into a starter role but should contend to be the FS starter in 2018. He appeared in all 17 games for the Chiefs in 2017 but has not logged any noteworthy pass defenses, Ints, etc. At this point, I see him still, as a depth player. See Watts below. [At this point? I end up as seeing Murray as a depth player, not a starter]
Daniel Sorensen (DB, 6’2″-208, 28–BYU, 5th Hr Pro, signed by Dorsey) – is not a starting safety. He best fits being situationally spotted for play up into the box and as a hybrid nickel or dime. What hurt his play as a safety was the affect of not having Eric Berry on the field. Sorensen is one of those underdog hustling tough players that you want to have on the team. He is a tough, hard hitting tackler but his talent lies in depth for the Chiefs and proper deployment. [great situational player with spot snaps at the right moments. Aggressive and hard nosed, depth player otherwise]
Keith Reaser (CB, 6’0″-190, 26 — FL Atlantic, 3rd Yr Pro) – Reaser is a former 49’er never started and logged time with the Chiefs in 2017. Reaser can be a decent depth player for the Chiefs which is how he was signed in 2017. Reaser does run support well and logged two forced fumbles in 2017. [3rd year player with an upside; certainly depth should he be retained]
Armani Watts(Rookie-S, 5″11″-205, 25, Texas A&M) – Watt’s is one of my picks to be an NFL Surprise. He was under-rated due to worries about his tackling skill but otherwise various pundits and observers indicate his game savvy, ability to mirror, play in a zone and read the offense plays and react appropriately is at a very high level. I have written about him in weeks past but it is my view that the tackling problem aside, he would have been a round 2 selection and competing for a starting role out of the gate for most NFL Teams. At Kansas City he arrives at the right time and place. I look for him to earn the starting role either by his play in pre-season or part way through the 2018 games. He is talented. His metrics do not show the 40 at the combine, he declined to run it. The rest? Bench-13, Vertical 35, 3-cone-4.37 and Short Shuttle 7.25. These were slow when measured at the Combine and at his pro-day(slightly improved). It is known that he was playing at a weight that was 5 or more pounds above his collegiate playing weight. Watching film tells me has the talent to be a starter in the NFL, and I have read several who cite his weight gain which was apparently intentional, did not work out. Most will state his ability to ball-hawk and defense passes is very good which is apparently what Veach and his staff saw. I think he is a round 2 talent and will account for with the Chiefs in 2018. In 2017 he was 3rd team All-American, 2nd in the SEC. [Watts is one of the 3 players from the draft that I believe will provide solid performance early in 2018 and become starters now or in year two –Watts, Ndadi and Speaks]
Tremon Smith (Rookie. age 21-CB, 6’1″-190–Cent. Arkanas) – Smith is an intriguing draftee by Brett Veach. Playing for a smaller university than most would have knowledge about, Smith is a tough player with good speed, his SAQ is very good and his stats at a smaller school were admirable. How that translates to the NFL is the question but since he was drafted, it is my view that he will make the roster. Smith shows great promise, his pro-day Metrics are good. I expect him to make the roster and I hope his play puts him beyond the PS. [ a lot of promise and wait and we’ll see]
Ashton Lamkin (2 yr, DB, 6’0″-189 OSU, 2nd yr pro) – his experience is the Chiefs PS, and thus far has not made an impact. [He must bring something to be brought back for year 2]
Whom Otherwise?
Robert Golden (S, 5’11-202–Arizona, 7 hr pro) – mostly a safety is in his 7th season with the NFL–all with the Steelers. He has experience and that might bode well for his earning a spot on the roster. The downside of that experience is that he was not a starter with the Steelers but has had a long career and generally played in most games of most seasons.
Will Redmond – (DB, 6’0″-186–Miss. St, 3 yr pro) – I had a hope for Redmond in 2017 but injury precluded it and also the preceding season. This is likely his last shot with the Chiefs. H spent time on the IR all season in 2017 and the year prior with the 49’ers. When you look at his metrics and his play at Miss. State, you can see that he has the ability to play in the NFL. He has speed, his SAQ is very good. He is one of those players that I have had high expectations of and thus far he has not panned out. [another player who has the talent and ability to be an NFL starter. Injury has surely held him back. Last chance to shine and make a roster spot and maybe more]
There are other players on the roster, such as Arrion Springs, a rookie UDFA along with Step Durham, Makinton Dorleant, and Jordan Sterns. However, I think my above detailed players are the ones who will be in the mix for the roster and potential 10 Player PS.
Overall? The Secondary remains in the high exposure category. When writing about the situation late winter and fall, most Chiefs followers would agree that it would be nearly impossible to solve most of the player needs with high level proven talent. GM Brett Veach has done a masterful job of bring in talent. It is up to those players to fulfill the expectatoins. Imonstrates the lack of depth and experience so this can only be seen as a group which is a WIP. Solid players for the 4 positions of the secondary demonstrate that we have two very solid players in Berry and Fuller and worries for the outside CBs and the FS role. I think for safety we have depth but here I am projecting Watts as earning the staring role.
David Bell – NSLU
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