Kansas City Chiefs 2010 Season Preview: Position-By-Position

[T-post Tom]

Kansas City Chiefs 2010 Season Preview: Position-By-Position

Safety

This is where things get fun for Chiefs fans. This was one of the biggest areas of weakness for the 2009 Chiefs so they made it a point to add talent and that's exactly what they did with Eric Berry.

This is going to be one of the more interesting position groups this season. Here's the rundown on the Kansas City Chiefs 2010 safeties.

Eric Berry

He's the one everyone has their eye on. He'll walk into camp as a starter and leave camp as a starter (barring injury). There's basically no question about that. He lined up with the first team defense within his first week at Chiefs offseason activities and there's no reason to think he won't do the same at training camp and into the regular season.

The biggest reason Berry is nearly assured of a starting job is because there's really no major challenge coming from behind. Gone is Mike Brown, last year's starter.

Expectations are high for Berry, even in year one. History says a rookie won't make a huge impact but a lot of folks are hoping (and expecting) different.

Kendrick Lewis

He had a slow 40 yard dash time coming out of Ole Miss so he dropped to the fifth round. But the Chiefs know where to stick 40 yard dash times. They don't really matter and they're hoping Lewis helps prove that.

He split time with Jon McGraw at free safety during OTAs and we expect, at least in the early goings, a similar setup. The Chiefs want Lewis to be the future at free safety and while he may not get there right away he's on that track.

Look for McGraw to open the season as the starter but Lewis to see some action early.

Jon McGraw

He's the type of guy you want on your team. The Chiefs are big into vets who help out the younger guys so that's why McGraw is basically guaranteed a spot on this team.

Talking to him recently, he told me he wasn't worried about losing his job to a rookie. If that happened, he would help the rookie along because ultimately it would make the team better.

McGraw is also a special teams ace so it's possible the Chiefs could give some more time at free safety to rookie Kendrick Lewis and allow McGraw to focus on special teams.

Either way, McGraw is part of the 2010 Chiefs and it's only a matter of time until Lewis takes his spot.

Reshard Langford

The Chiefs plucked him from the Eagles practice squad on Christmas Day 2009 so they obviously see something they like. Langford didn't see any significant time in 2009 and he may not in 2010 either.

His role with the Chiefs moving forward is likely as a reserve and/or special teams player.

Ricky Price

Price is back for another go-round with the Chiefs. He signed on with the club last year as a rookie free agent and split his time on the practice squad, out of the league and on the active roster.

He's still young and the Chiefs did pick him and then promote him at the end of 2009 so there's some hope but whatever his role is in 2010, it probably won't be significant.

DaJuan Morgan

He's an interesting case. The Chiefs used a third round pick on him in the 2008 draft so, at one point, someone (Herm Edwards) saw some talent in him.

He seemed to have some early promise with a big preseason game in 2009 but never caught on during the regular season.

Morgan seems talented but for whatever reason has hardly seen the field in two years. That's reason enough to wonder if he'll even make the team.

Jarrad Page

Ah, the great mystery.

Page opened the 2009 season as the starter but was on the verge of losing his job when he was placed on injured reserve in November.

Numerous reports indicate that he wanted to be traded last year and he's backed that up this year by not signing his restricted free agent tender.

With each passing day, it's getting hard to envision a scenario in which Page is on the 2010 Chiefs. Once training camp starts, and Page isn't there, we'll feel more comfortable predicting his role with the Chiefs in 2010 (if there is one).

***

Obviously the key to this group is Berry. There's a lot of pressure on him to perform early so we'll have to see how he handles that. Some are thinking Berry will be placed into a Rodney Harrison-esque role with the Chiefs. Harrison did a lot of things with the Romeo Crennel-coached Pats including blitzing the quarterback at times.

The other thing to watch in this position group is the movement between McGraw and Lewis. The Chiefs have started two rookie safeties before and had success, so it can be done, but this team is probably better off in the early goings with McGraw as the starter.

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Defensive End

Believe it or not, defensive end is one of the positions at which the Chiefs are deep. They've got a pair of top five picks as the starters, and a third round pick as well as the second leader sacker in 2009.

Here's a rundown on one of the Chiefs most sturdy positions heading into 2010.

Glenn Dorsey

There's no doubt he's the starter for the entire 2010 season. He's entering year three and his second as a defensive end. I think overall the coaching staff is pleased with the progress he made last year after getting off to a rough start showing up to training camp out of shape.

Dorsey is working with his third defensive coordinator in as many years but has promise. He'll build on what he did in 2009 to have a better year in 2010.

From the average fan's perception, he'll probably never live up to the hype that's surrounded him since the Herm Edwards-led Chiefs made him the fifth overall pick in 2008 but he could be a building block moving forward.

Tyson Jackson

He had a tough season in year one, which was to be expected. Defensive linemen usually take a little while to develop and Jackson is no different.

He had never played in the 3-4 until 2009 so expect him to improve based on familiarity alone.

The coaching staff has had good things to say about his work ethic which is another good sign he'll improve in 2010. Jackson is far from being dominant (or even solid, to be honest) but he's putting the time in necessary. He's working with Romeo Crennel, one of the best in the business and a long-time defensive line coach, so there's little doubt in my mind he'll see improvement in 2010.

Wallace Gilberry

He was a pleasant surprise in 2009. Gilberry was second on the team with 4.5 sacks in a position that usually doesn't see a lot of sacks.

He's a tad undersized entering 2010 in the 275 pound range but he's shown enough mobility to get to the quarterback and that's something the Chiefs haven't seen the last two seasons.

Gilberry is sticking around. He may not overtake Dorsey and Jackson but he does play an important role in nickel situations, which happens quite often in a league that saw 10 quarterbacks throw for over 4,000 yards in 2010.

Alex Magee

A 2009 third round pick, Magee didn't see a ton of time in 2009. Like the other guys, he gets a slight pass because defensive linemen take some time to get going.

But Magee was Scott Pioli's second draft pick with the Chiefs and they do expect him to play a role. Like Gilberry, he's more likely to be in a reserve role.

If Magee can develop, defensive end has the potential to be one of the deepest positions on the Chiefs.

Bobby Greenwood

Greenwood has a long road ahead to make the 2010 Chiefs roster. He wasn't drafted and is playing behind two first round picks and a third round pick so it'll be hard for him to see much action.

At this point, he may be camp fodder but the Chiefs have a way of rewarding players that work their tails off and Greenwood stuck with the team last year. Don't expect much from Greenwood moving forward because of the talent that's ahead of him.

Jeffrey Fitzgerald

He's pretty much an unknown at this point. The Chiefs signed him as a rookie free agent this past offseason. At 6'4" and 280 pounds, he may be a tad undersized but should be sufficient for training camp. He'll have to surprise some folks to find a spot on the team.

***

The guys to worry about in this group are Dorsey and Jackson. They're getting paid a lot of money and have a lot of expectations. The Chiefs future success is largely dependent on the development of the defense and specifically Dorsey and Jackson. Pioli has been clear that defensive ends in a 3-4 are important pieces to the puzzle.

The Chiefs are also building a nice set of reserves in this department. Gilberry was a pleasant surprise in 2009 and Magee was drafted high so the Chiefs see something in him and expect him to play a reserve role moving forward.



Nose Tackle

The nose tackle in a 3-4 defense is arguably the most important position in the 3-4 defense. He clogs lanes, lines up directly against the big centers and is really the key to the whole defense.

So how do the Kansas City Chiefs stand with the nose tackle?

It's not the perfect situation but there is promise. There's just too many ifs for me.

Here's the rundown on the Chiefs nose tackles.

Ron Edwards

He'll enter training camp and more than likely the starter at this position.

He played the nose for the Chiefs in 2009 and did an okay job. He wasn't great but he wasn't the worst player on the field either.

At age 31, he's hardly the future so a lot of Chiefs fans would prefer someone else play here. But being young doesn't always mean being more talented. Edwards is a veteran and understands what's necessary to prepare for the position.

Look for him to be the starter in 2010. I'd be cautious against betting someone takes his job.

Shaun Smith

Now he's one of the more interesting players on the Chiefs roster.

Smith had one of his best year as a pro under Romeo Crennel and the Browns in 2007. In fact, some argued he should've been a Pro Bowler.

Three years later and quite a bit has changed with him. He's now the backup on another Crennel-coached defense and his career never took off like some thought it would.

So what's next for Smith?

He'll be given the opportunity to beat out Edwards for the starting job. Logic would suggest Crennel had a say in the Chiefs signing him so Crennel's probably put a little bit of his own reputation at stake here meaning he has extra motivation to see Smith succeed.

We can't make any bold declarations about his role with the 2010 Chiefs because OTAs and practice in pads can only tell you so much but I'm guessing he'll end up as the backup to Edwards.

Derek Lokey

He's listed at 6'1" and 300 pounds in the latest roster update. He was signed, released and then re-signed with the Chiefs last year so the fact that they brought him back suggests there's a glimmer of hope there.

While it would be nice to see Lokey make a run at the starting job, it's hard to think that's possible right now. More than likely, he's part of the rotation in camp and maybe he can find a spot on the roster in a reserve role but that's questionable.

Dion Gales

He can play defensive end and nose tackle. For some reason, the Chiefs had him listed in the 260 pound range last year which was clearly inaccurate. They list him now at 6'5" and 310 pounds so the size is there to be a nose tackle.

But, like Lokey, he's a long shot as a starter. Gales saw some time at nose tackle last year (remember the Kenny Smith era?) and that's where he'll be in 2010 -- as a reserve.

He can also play some defensive end which should help his chances of making the roster.

Garrett Brown

Like Gales, he can also play defensive end.

There's not a whole lot to go by with him. There's not much you can tell from defensive linemen during OTAs and drills in shorts so my hunch is that he's camp fodder and will have a difficult time making the team.

***

The key to this group will be Smith. He's got the best chance of being the future nose tackle considering Edwards' age and the limitations of Lokey and Gales.

if Smith can't establish himself as the clear starter, then Chiefs fans can start scouting nose tackles in the 2011 draft.



Quarterback

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback situation is pretty much set at this point. Matt Cassel's the starter, Brodie Croyle's the backup and Tyler Palko is third in line.

Here's a quick preview of these guys heading into the 2010 season.

Matt Cassel

He's the starter and there's no question about it.

Inevitably at some point this season, the offseason version of Brodie Croyle will return and folks will start clamoring for a switch.

Don't buy the hype. This is Cassel's team and that's been evident since day one.

He'll try to improve on his TD:INT ratio from last year (16:16) and really focus on making less mistakes. The Chiefs will be a run-first team in 2010 so Cassel doesn't have to do it all by himself (nor can he do it all by himself).

Brodie Croyle

He's set in stone as the backup. Ideally, he doesn't have to play at all but, like week one last year, it's possible.

I think the Chiefs generally like Croyle and what he offers as back up quarterback. He's a good passer at times but you just can't trust him to stay healthy.

If he has to make a spot-start here and there, that's OK. But if you're asking him to play multiple games in a row, that's a problem.

Tyler Palko

How much do you really know about the third quarterback?

Palko will be fun to watch in preseason because he's got some legs and can make things happen.

But he is what he is -- a third quarterback that won't see the field unless there's some sort of catastrophe.

***

There are no real surprises in this group. The only movement you're likely to see is maybe a switch at that third quarterback spot. Scott Pioli likes to have developmental quarterbacks waiting in the wings so if one pops up along the way, he'll have no problem making a switch like he did with Matt Gutierrez last year.

http://kansascity.sbnation.com/2010/...view-positions

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Mecca

Also for a player to make it in the league with Lewis speed he'd have to be exceptionally smart and heady...he won't be that as a rookie.

If that dude starts there are going to be some very very ugly moments.

Mike Brown says you should be used to it.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by milkman

Mike Brown says you should be used to it.

[Tribal Warfare]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Reading those names, I still can't get over how ****ed we are.

FYP

[KCDC]

What about Washington at safety? He doesn't seem to have what it takes as a CB; and, as I recall, he was tested at safety during the OTAs.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by KCDC

What about Washington at safety? He doesn't seem to have what it takes as a CB; and, as I recall, he was tested at safety during the OTAs.

He was on the second team unit at safety yesterday at camp.

[DaneMcCloud]

Tyson Jackson is my favorite player

[Maggot Brain]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Yeah, that doesn't make much sense to me either.

Play the slow guy at SS and the quick ballhawk at FS.

A slow 40 means Lewis lacks speed, but he still may have quickness. He'll need it to react to the ball as a FS. I just hope Berry is in a position to get some pick-sixes. That would be exciting and directly impact the outcome of games.