Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford confident going into his second season

It will be months before the major questions surrounding the Chiefs’ 2014 first-round pick, linebacker Dee Ford, will be answered.

But it’s important to remember that those questions are a two-way street. While the Chiefs will be looking to see improvement from Ford as a run defender, for instance, it’s up to defensive coordinator Bob Sutton to find more creative ways to get Ford on the field — even with Pro Bowlers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston ahead of him on the depth chart.

Ford made it clear to reporters last week that’s he’s confident he’s taking care of his end of the bargain.

“I’m a perfectionist, so I walked away (from last season) ready to get to work,” Ford said. “I feel like I felt a lot of plays on the field. I was excited to get to work.”

Ford, who was listed at 6 feet 2 and 243 pounds last season, says he weighs 245 pounds. Conventional football wisdom says that’s light for a 3-4 outside linebacker, but he’s OK with it.

“Yes, I’m pretty happy with that,” Ford said. “I’m pretty strong.”

He’ll need to be if he hopes to break into the rotation this season. Ford finished the 2014 season with only eight tackles and 1 1/2 sacks while playing roughly 9 percent of the Chiefs’ total defensive snaps.

Ford would have been penciled in as a starter had the Chiefs chosen to move on from Hali, who had a cap number of $12 million. But Hali agreed to a pay cut, and with Houston on the other side, Ford still finds himself in a tough battle for playing time.

“Me and Tamba communicate a lot, so I wasn’t surprised,” Ford said of Hali’s return. “Those are things that are not in my control, so I don’t react to things that don’t have anything to do with Dee Ford. I love to have him around. That’s my big bro.”

Ford said he’s just worried about the things that are under his control, which is, generally, working out and watching tape to improve as an all-round player.

“I looked at some key things I know I need to work on, and it all goes back to technicalities, fundamentals, more so play recognition, knowing what to expect, situational things,” Ford said.

In the end, that commitment to improve is why Ford is confident his sophomore season will be better than his rookie season, even if the depth chart doesn’t figure to change much.

“Work makes you confident,” Ford said. “When I’m on the field I’m very arrogant and feel like I’m the best at what I do. We’re all going to compete and we’re all going to bring things to the table to make each other better. I just know at the end of the day we’re going to get what we earn, (and) I’ve put in a lot of work.”

This story was originally published April 26, 2015 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford confident going into his second season."