The Chiefs All-Decade Defense

Who makes the All-Decade Team for Kansas City?

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A few things to note first: To qualify, players had to be considered a starter and record enough snaps to be listed as one for a full year. Longevity helps. The more impact one makes on the decade as a whole, the better. Some career stats will be brought up, but overall it’s what a player did from 2010-2019. Pre-2010 won’t be taken into consideration. I went with dividing the players into a 3-4 category since that’s what the Chiefs ran for nine of the ten years. This did cause a few problems labeling DEs and pass-rushers.

Safeties (2)

Eric Berry (2010-2018): This one is obvious. Even if #29 left the organization on a sour “day to day” note, he was still one of the greatest ever to don a Chiefs uniform. Taken in the 2010 draft Berry would play in 83 games, combine for 445 tackles, defend 50 passes, intercept another 14 (five for touchdowns), and record the NFL’s first pick 2 – to win a game, no less. Berry was a leader on the field and an inspiration off of it.

Tyrann Mathieu (2019): Tyrann’s addition to this list after only one season as a Chief may not be as unanimous as Berry’s, but in his short time in Kansas City, Mathieu has already made his presence and influence known. Known as the “Honey Badger” for his intellect and fierce attitude towards the game, Mathieu helped turn around a struggling Chiefs’ defense, when they needed it the most.

Honorable Mention: Juan Thornhill, Dirty Dan Sorensen, Husain Abdullah, Ron Parker

Cornerbacks (2)

Brandon Flowers (2008-2013): Drafted by Kansas City in 2008, Flowers’ four season starting in the past decade would be the longest tenure of any Chiefs CB. From 2010- 2013 Brandon would start 59 games at the left cornerback position recording 10 interceptions and two touchdowns along with 57 passes defended, and 243 combined tackles. Together with Brandon Carr early in both their careers, the pair would become the best CB duo for the Chiefs this last decade.

Marcus Peters (2015-2017): While many Chiefs fans won’t like his inclusion on the list for off the field reasons, no one can deny his impact on it, especially during his rookie campaign. Winning DROTY and claiming 2nd string All-Pro in 2015, Peters would snag a league high eight interceptions along with a forced fumble and two touchdowns. He could continue to be a turnover machine during his short tenure in Kansas City, picking the ball off another eleven times before being traded to the Rams.

Honorable Mention: Charvarius Ward, Sean Smith, Brandon Carr

Inside Linebackers (2)

Derrick Johnson (2005-2017): Was this even a question? With over 1,000 combined tackles in his career, the all-time leading tackler for the Chiefs was one of the best players ever to don the Red and Gold. Going into 2010, with five years experience under his belt, Johnson didn’t slow down, recording 621 solo tackles in the last decade alone. Many defensive memories stem from Johnson’s amazing plays, including knocking a Raider’s soul from his body and stopping Oakland from reaching paydirt on 4 straight plays, all by himself.

Anthony Hitchens (2018-2019): Don’t @ me. I had to go with two ILBs here and my options were thin. To say the Chiefs have struggled to find a partner and/or replacement for DJ would be an understatement. The options were Josh Mauga, Ramik Wilson, Damien Wilson, James-Michael Johnson, Akeem Jordan and Reggie Ragland. Oh and the guy who caused the darkest day in Chiefs’ history (Yeah I’m not touching that one). While Ragland and Wilson may have more potential and turn into the better players, their impact hasn’t been as much as Hitchens, who led the team in tackles the last two years, the first LB to do so since Johnson. He may not be the complete linebacker Chiefs fans were hoping for, but he’s certainly racked up the tackles.

Outside Linebacker (2)

Justin Houston (2011-2018): While the latter portion of Houston’s time in KC was spent dealing with injuries, when healthy the dude was a beast. Power, speed, and a technician with his hands, Justin was a force to be reckoned with. With 78.5 sacks, Houston ranks 4th among KC pass rushers. His 22 sack season is the most for a Chief ever, and fell just half a sack short of the all time record. In his prime, Houston wasn’t just a pass rusher, but was stout against the run as well, and could anchor down his edge with power alone.

Tamba Hali (2006-2017): Number 2 on that total sack list? Mr. Tamba Hali with 89.5. In 2009 The Chiefs switched for the 3-4 to a 4-3 and many wondered if Hali would be as effective moving to the OLB position. Tamba answered their question by posting a career high 14.5 sacks in 2010. He wasn’t always the fastest or strongest player on the field, but he was a master of hand fighting. His patented “Tamba Hawk Chop” forced 23 fumbles in the 2010’s to go along with his 62.5 sacks that decade.

Honorable Mention: Dee Ford, Frank Zombo, Mike Vrabel

Defensive Linemen (3)

Chris Jones (2016-2019): Pay the man. One of the best defensive linemen of the decade, Jones makes this list with ease. Since day 1 Jones has been a monster, commanding double and triple teams on the inside. In his four years as a Pro, Jones has recorded 33 sacks and 136 tackles, 37 of which were for a loss. Jones also has two interceptions, one a pick-six. 2018 was his best year so far, sacking the QB 14.5 times while breaking the NFL record for most straight games with a sack.

Dontari Poe (2012-2016): Hilariously, Poe is probably more recognized in Kansas City for his offensive production than his defensive play. He recorded two rushing touchdowns and even a passing one, but it’s his play as a nose tackle that gets him recognized on this list. For many years the Chiefs struggled to anchor the center of their new 3-4 defense. The answer: Poe, a 346 lb defensive lineman who rocked the combine with 44 bench reps, a 29.5 inch vertical, and a blazing 4.98 forty. Poe would go on to lead all defensive tackles in snaps and make the Pro Bowl his second year. During his tenure in Kansas City Poe would record 13 sacks and 202 tackles

Allen Bailey (2011-2018): Bailey gets the nod over Frank Clark here due to his longevity of the position along with me not being sure how to label Frank, as he could be considered an OLB as well. An unsung hero, the Hulk spent most of his career and the decade with the Chiefs using his power to anchor down his side of the line, recording 207 tackles. When asked to pin his ears back become a pass rusher he was fairly effective as well recording 19.5 sacks as a Chief.

Honorable Mention: Frank Clark, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Alex Okafor, Derrick Nnadi

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