Anleitungen » The Kansas City Chiefs placed the franchise tag on outs

ide linebacker Dee Ford on Monday Juan Thornhill Jersey Womens , making official a decision the team had been leaning toward throughout the offseason.Ford is coming off the best season of his career, piling up 13 sacks and forcing an NFL-leading seven fumbles. The Chiefs have expressed an interest in a long-term deal, though they are also open to trading him as they switch from a 3-4 to 4-3 base defense under new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.In other words, it’s no sure thing Ford plays next season under the roughly $15.4 million tag.The franchise tag gives the Chiefs until July 15 to agree on a long-term contract, but they may need to free up some additional salary cap space to do so. That’s because they have other pressing needs in free agency, not to mention a bevy of stars due to hit free agency soon.They would like to extend defensive tackle Chris Jones and wide receiver Tyreek Hill before next offseason, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is eligible for an extension next year.“Obviously, Dee is a player that has done so much for us, in particular last year,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said recently. “We have a special thing brewing here and I think everyone wants to keep this thing rolling.”For his part Harrison Butker Jersey , Ford called it a “no brainer” to sign the franchise tender.The Chiefs have certainly invested plenty in Ford after selecting him in the first round of the 2014 draft out of Auburn. He went through some growing pains as he adapted to life in the NFL, and he has an injury history that is cause for concern — and that makes the franchise tag a good option.Ford remains a high-risk, high-reward kind of talent.“The one thing he can do, and we all know this, he is an explosive football player that makes a lot of plays,” said Spagnuolo, who was hired after the Chiefs lost to the Patriots in the AFC title game to turn around one of the league’s worst defenses. “He’s had some production and if he is here with us, I’ll be excited to have him and be excited to work with him.”The Chiefs are also considering what to do with fellow outside linebacker Justin Houston, who had nine sacks in 12 games last season. The veteran leader carries a salary cap hit of $21.1 million next season, and the Chiefs could free up a significant amount of money by trading or releasing him.“I would say that he’s under contract for this year and next year Reggie Ragland Jersey ,” Veach said at the NFL’s scouting combine this week. “Again, our plan is to play with him and we look forward to having him on our roster. There’s a lot of dialogue and I think everything is fluid for the next few weeks.”The problem is the Chiefs have little depth beyond Ford and Houston. Defensive end Breeland Speaks is a more natural fit in a 4-3 system, but he was only a bit player after the Chiefs selected him in the second round out of Ole Miss last year.That’s another reason why the franchise tag on Ford made sense.“I certainly think that we have a bunch of versatility along the line there. Justin and Dee, both of those guys can play in this scheme and do well,” Veach said. “We like the pieces that are in place and we’re anxious to get this offseason started.” Kansas City Chiefs rookie outside linebacker Breeland Speaks had New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady nearly wrapped up by the goal line on a third-and-goal play late in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game. Brady pump-faked, and Speaks appeared to hold up from moving forward with the full tackle, which would have been for a key sack.There was a defensive holding called on the play (the Patriots declined), which would have negated the sack anyway, but asked after the game, Speaks said he held up because he was afraid of being called for a roughing-the-passer penalty. We have seen referees calling any quarterback-related penalties especially tight throughout the 2018 season Cameron Erving Jersey , so the reaction made sense.But NFL executive V.P. of football operations Troy Vincent doesn’t buy it, according to ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio.I’ve only gotten to know Speaks a little bit this year, but my gut tells me he would admit it if he was just flat-out beat by Brady on the play. The potential for a penalty had to be going through his mind, because how could it not?In my opinion, the rookie wanted to be extra careful not to spoil such a big game on a silly penalty in his first career start. Speaks later told old friend Terez Paylor, now of Yahoo! Sports, that he should have finished the play.The Patriots went on to win the game, 43-40, and Speaks learned a valuable lesson.