Kansas City Chiefs: How transition to 4-3 affects future of Chiefs defense

The Kansas City Chiefs have goals this off season to rebuild their porous defense from 2018 and that all started with the hiring of new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme is a hybrid 4-3 defensive front, which is difference from Bob Sutton’s 3-4. Sutton had been running a 3-4 since he joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013.

There are probably a lot of football fans, who don’t fully understand the concept of a 4-3 or 3-4 defense, so I’m here to help. I’m going to review the weaknesses and strengths of each scheme, and how the new change could benefit the Chiefs moving forward.

For starters, we should’ve noticed the way that Chiefs general manager Brett Veach drafted in last year’s class. His first pick being Breeland Speaks out of Ole Miss, Speaks is a traditional “hand in the dirt” defensive lineman and looked like he’d be a project at outside linebacker. Speaks never stood up and pass rushed his entire time in college and Bob Sutton asked him to do so in his 3-4 scheme.

While Speaks did show a few flash moments, he is a piece that was playing out of place and with the new scheme change he will have more opportunity to be the player he SHOULD be. Another interesting example is Dorian O’Daniel from Clemson.

This kid looks like the prototypical outside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme. His range to cover out of the backfield and his ability to move in space is similar to that of K.J. Wright in Seattle. O’Daniel could find himself as a starter on day one next season if he stays healthy and learns the system in his second season.

These are just two examples of how Brett Veach was thinking in the long-term. It seems like he had been drafting personnel to make the switch in scheme. Why they waited a year too long with Sutton while Spagnuolo was available last off season, we’ll never know, but they made the switch and we can finally move forward.

So, starting with the scheme the Chiefs already had, let’s break down the strengths and weaknesses of the 3-4 system.