Breaking Down Kansas City Chiefs' Prospects in 2011 Free Agency: Secondary

OK, so the linebacker corps doesn't really fit into "secondary" per se, but they are certainly instrumental in coverage packages.

Also, I needed to break this thing up into more than two pieces, and this made the most sense. There; that's the truth of the matter. Sue me.

Now that that's out of the way, Kansas City already has some of the best players in the league in their "back eight." And while no team can boast outstanding players at every position, the Chiefs could certainly make a couple moves to upgrade their thinner spots with relatively little effort or expense.

The Chiefs will have to move fast, though, if they want to add a couple more veterans. This year's free agency period has been like listening to a full size LP of Pink Floyd's The Wall on a 45 rpm player.

Outside Linebacker

If there's one position the Chiefs are stacked at, it's outside linebacker. Tamba Hali just finished a career year leading the AFC in sacks, Andy Studebaker has been getting groomed to take over for the recently-retired Mike Vrabel and third-round pick Justin Houston is a first round talent who should be in camp any day now.

But there's nothing that says you can have too many good players, and Kansas City is in a prime position to gain one more.

New England's Tully Banta-Cain found himself on the market after being released by the Patriots. After having abdominal surgery, Banta-Cain is likely considered "damaged goods" despite racking up 15 sacks over the last two seasons.

Finding himself sufficiently unencumbered but with red flags, Banta-Cain could be looking for a place to reclaim a bit of respect from the NFL community. A solid rotation between all four of the players can keep them fresh and the pressure intense on opposing quarterbacks.

On the other side of things, Banta-Cain might be less interested in coming to a team already stacked at the position as opposed to a team who might take a gamble on him starting, despite the Patriot connection to Pioli.

Prediction: None

Alternate:  Tully Banta-Cain

Inside Linebacker

Middle/inside linebacker for Kansas City has been a shaky position, arguably since Mike Maslowski went down to injury back in 2003.

Or at least it was until Derrick Johnson remembered why he was such a steal in the middle of the 2005 draft. At the end of the 2009 season, Johnson came alive in the final game versus Denver. He snagged a pair of interceptions, returning them for touchdowns.

Johnson built on that, putting together his best season to date in 2010 with 122 tackles and 15 passes defensed. Johnson was all over the field, particularly at the start of the season. After a failed experiment to move him to outside linebacker and a false start at middle linebacker under Herm Edwards, Johnson reclaimed the role of a sideline-to-sideline defender which made him immensely successful at Texas.

The rest of the inside linebackers, while respectable, do not necessarily carry the same type of threat Johnson does. Demorrio Williams and Jovan Belcher are solid players, but neither is quite the playmaker as Johnson.

Players like Stephen Tulloch will command entirely too much money for Kansas City to be involved. Additionally, Tulloch's experience is in the 4-3 system.

The Green Bay Packers gave the Chiefs a perfect option to pair with Johnson by releasing Nick Barnett. Barnett is another steady, playmaking linebacker that can help dominate the middle of the field. While Barnett has only played 29 of the last 48 regular-season games, his injuries were not to the same area (knee ligament in 2008, wrist in 2010).

Barnett has plenty of upside, and might come at a discount. That would certainly be music to management's ears.

Prediction:  None

Alternate (and preferred):  Nick Barnett

Cornerback

Not since the days of James Hasty and Dale Carter has Kansas City had this much talent and production at cornerback.

Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr, both selected in the 2008 draft by Kansas City, have not only become one of the top corner tandems in the league; they've done it despite both being players drafted for an entirely different scheme.

In 2008, former head coach Herman Edwards wanted to run the Tampa 2, a 4-3 defense he helped make famous. When Todd Haley took the reins the following year, his 3-4 defense asked Flowers and Carr to play an entirely different style of defense.

Flowers is now considered one of the top (though underrated) corners in the league. And Carr, while admittedly slower to grasp the new defense, came on at the end of the season last year and made the case that he and Flowers share a lot more in common than just first names.

Carr is a restricted free agent, though, so there is always a chance he could find a new home. Fortunately, all reports have him committed to staying with the Chiefs. Flowers will hit restricted free agency next year.

To further stock the corner position (or at least provide negotiating leverage), Kansas City signed Colorado's Jalil Brown after drafting him in the fourth round. At present, Brown is likely to see action as the nickel corner this year. He could find his way into the starting lineup in 2012 if contract talks break down.

That being said, none of the current free agents make much sense for Kansas City. With two entrenched starters, a couple reserves and a rookie at nickel, the Chiefs have many more positions to throw their money at.

Besides, if Flowers and Carr continue to progress as they have, they should start hearing more comparisons to previous Chiefs cornerbacks. Only next time, it's likely to be Albert Lewis and Kevin Ross. As one of the top 10 corner tandems in NFL history, Kansas City could do far worse.

Prediction:  None

Alternate:  Still none

Safety

In 2006, the Chiefs thought they might have drafted both their future safeties in one draft. Bernard Pollard was a hard-hitting enforcer from Purdue, while seventh-round steal Jarrad Page from UCLA was a two-sport athlete expected to choose baseball over football.

While both had decent runs in Kansas City, both found themselves with new teams by 2010, casualties of a change in defensive and front office philosophy.

Last year's draft in some ways felt much the same. After landing one of the best safety prospects in years, the Chiefs followed up drafting Eric Berry in the first round by taking Kendrick Lewis in the fifth. Berry has been the unquestioned starter since, with Lewis starting 10 games throughout last season.

Especially after re-signing veteran Jon McGraw, the Chiefs are unlikely to make many more moves at the safety position. Additionally, the safety position is thin at this point. The most sensible selection here would be Houston's Eugene Wilson. Another free safety, Wilson earned two Super Bowl rings with the Patriots, but has been a bit of a journeyman ever since.

Former first round pick Donte Whitner from Buffalo could factor in the picture should Kansas City want, but odds are the Chiefs simply move on as things stand now.

The Chiefs need to know what Lewis is capable of.

Prediction:  None

Alternate:  Eugene Wilson