Kansas City Chiefs: Two Best Defenders May Miss Start of Season

A huge reason the Kansas City Chiefs were winners in 2015 was because of their defense, and now it might be crippled before 2016 even gets going.

The team faces two rather bothersome situations regarding their defense. It starts of course with safety Eric Berry. Despite being franchise tagged, locking him down from going anywhere else, the Pro Bowler has not signed the tender contract. He’s been surprised the team hasn’t been able to work out a long-term deal with him, so in responds it seems he has a plan of his own in order for his own feelings on the matter to be heard.

NFL.com reported the current situation.

"“NFL Media’s Jeff Chadiha talks us through the ongoing tension between Kansas City Chiefs and Eric Berry. Last year Berry recovered from lymphoma to become a Pro Bowler, but he and the Chiefs still have not reached a deal for this season. He is not required to be at training or in the preseason games and is not expected to show up. Chadiha says its an unfortunate situation, as the players view him as a leader and he is one of the most liked guys in the locker room.”"

Considering what Berry has been through and what he’s done for the organization, it’s hard to blame him for feeling a little bit angry about it. Sure, the NFL is a business and this is how it goes but there are two sides to every coin. Yet this is not the only problem the Chiefs defense is facing. Not having their locker room leader is bad enough. Not having their best pass rusher makes it even worse. Such is the case with linebacker Justin Houston.

Head coach Andy Reid was frank about whether or not he thinks the Pro Bowler will be able to participate in training camp coming off his torn ACL injury.

There are some who believe that Houston will also miss the preseason and perhaps even a good chunk of the early regular season as well. Combine that with the fluid situation involving Berry, who seems intent on not signing his tag contract and suddenly the Kansas City Chiefs are facing the prospect of entering a season filled with Super Bowl expectations without arguably their two best players. Nobody is doubting that Reid is masterful at improvisation, but he’s not a miracle worker. It’s hard to imagine he can keep this team afloat in that division without two cornerstones like them.

The Houston situation is something they can’t do much about, but perhaps it’s time the Chiefs made a more concerted effort to somehow placate Berry. Otherwise they risk getting off to a bad start, something they can’t afford.