The Kansas City Chiefs have made the playoffs two years straight, failing to make it past the second round. There seems to be some missing piece somewhere that they just can’t get filled. Now, one could argue that the problems plaguing the Chiefs are at quarterback, but Alex Smith is serviceable. The true problem preventing a Super Bowl run lies in the secondary. Throughout the season, whoever lined up opposite rising star Marcus Peters was getting burned badly and consistently. Opposing quarterbacks smartly avoided Peters, so the weak link on the other side of the field was frequently targeted and exposed, leading to way too many big passing plays allowed. Fortunately for the Chiefs, the remedy to their woes just might be available in this upcoming draft class. His name? Teez Tabor.
Teez Tabor is the Missing Piece for the Kansas City Chiefs
Florida’s Teez Tabor is a special talent at cornerback who, like current Chief Marcus Peters, will fall in the draft due to slight character concern. Should Tabor fall far enough, the Chiefs would be getting themselves a top ten talent at pick 27. This would be an absolute steal. Coach Andy Reid has had a lot of success coaching troubled players, like 2016 fifth round selection Tyreek Hill, for example. Hill had a number of issues coming into the draft and Reid was able to work with him and get it sorted out as opposed to creating friction, and Hill is now one of the team’s brightest stars. Should Reid find himself able to get his hands on Tabor, he would likely do wonders working with him, effectively taking care of any character concerns.
What does this leave? An extremely talented cornerback that everyone else passed on because they didn’t want to work through his issues. Even in a historically stacked defensive back class, Tabor still possesses potential to be the best of the group. His sticky man coverage and ballhawking abilities paired with the elite skill set of Marcus Peters would prove to be an absolute lethal duo. Quarterbacks would be afraid to throw against the Chiefs, and that’s something all teams should strive for. Should Teez Tabor fully develop to what he’s capable of becoming, he could help transform the unit into a truly incredible defense. He and Peters would complement each other the way fancy cheddar compliments a fine wine.
But Didn’t the Chiefs Struggle Against the Run?
Run defense has proven to be a problem as well, but the bolstering of the secondary should help some. Should the Chiefs add another capable man coverage corner, this would free up the safeties to drop into run support roles as opposed to coverage help more frequently. Currently the Chiefs defense does not have the secondary personnel to effectively run consistent man coverage or stack the box against teams.
Their corners behind Marcus Peters include the likes of D.J. White, Phillip Gaines, Terrance Mitchell, and Steven Nelson. Not a single one of these corners is even above average and safety help is often required in coverage. They’re good depth guys, but they’re good for just that. Depth guys. The group is talented and could flourish in the slot, but aren’t ideal outside guys.
Each corner is responsible for a side of the field as opposed to shadowing a receiver. Opposing offenses coordinators often took advantage of this and moved their receivers around to avoid Peters. That meant whoever was placed opposite Peters often had to face guys like Antonio Brown, Amari Cooper, Mike Evans, and Julio Jones. What this led to was a lot of big plays allowed by corners who weren’t up to covering elite receivers. Why did this occur so frequently? Kansas City simply didn’t have ideal personnel for the way they run their defense.
So Why is Teez Tabor the Answer?
The addition of a guy capable of locking down a receiver like Tabor would greatly reduce big plays allowed. Offensive coordinators would no longer be able to simply avoid throwing at a high level corner. With Tabor and Peters each locking down a side of the field, capabilities of opposing offenses would be greatly reduced. The depth guys behind them would be able to flourish in the slot, and the defense could show more diverse looks with improved secondary personnel. The Florida product Tabor is an extremely talented man coverage guy who can mirror routes with precision. His exquisite ball skills would allow him to come up with some of the big plays the defense thrives on. The trio of Teez Tabor, Eric Berry, and Marcus Peters has potential to give the opposition nightmares.
