When the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Dee Ford, Justin Houston wasn’t signed to a long-term deal and Tamba Hali was 31 years old. Anyone would’ve guessed that within a couple of years, Ford would be starting.
It hasn’t gone exactly the way we thought it would but here is Ford preparing to be a starter in his third season in the league.
“I knew at some point this is where I would be,” Ford said. “So for the last couple of years I have been working to get to this point. This is a chance for me to step up and really show what I can do.”
Justin Houston is out and will likely need some time to get back into football shape when he returns. Tamba Hali hasn’t practiced all camp (which led to Josh Mauga playing some outside linebacker ... which was weird). It’s fair to wonder how many snaps he’ll play each game. My point being that even with these guys coming back, there could be a role for Ford.
“He’s like most of our guys, he has to keep playing very well for us and keep improving,” Chiefs DC Bob Sutton said. “I thought he had a really good offseason in OTAs. He registered a very good season where he showed us some really positive things. I’ve answered the same way to Dee, it’s about being consistent. He’s done a great job. He had some great get offs today out there. He’s working really hard and obviously with Justin being injured, that’s really a key guy for us, and we need him to step forward.”
Consistency. For the first time, Ford could have more than a few games to prove his consistency.