KC Chiefs: Defensive tackle most important training camp position battle

The KC Chiefs are heading into a pivotal year in 2019 and training camp will be even more important than it has been in years past.

Grant Gordon of NFL.com wrote a piece detailing how training camp would look for the AFC West. In that piece, he listed the most important position battle for each team and for the Kansas City Chiefs, his pick was at defensive tackle.

Gordon wrote,

"The trio of Jones, new defensive end Frank Clark (acquired from the Seahawks) and Alex Okafor (signed from the Saints) produced 32.5 sacks a season ago. The person who starts next to Jones could either buoy the Chiefs’ defensive line to another level or simply be the fourth guy on a pretty good line, plugging some holes and bringing home about 30 tackles."

This is a good point for the Chiefs this summer. They need to find a good fourth man along the defensive line who can really fight in the trenches and help this team compete for a Super Bowl in the 2019 season.

Gordon goes on with the potential options at the fourth defensive tackle position, writing,

"Derrick Nnadi returns after starting 11 games with 35 tackles as a rookie. He’ll be challenged by big-bodied, back-flipping rookie Khalen Saunders."

While Derrick Nnadi and rookie Khalen Saunders are both legitimate options, Xavier Williams shouldn’t be ignored. Matthew Smith of KC Kingdom mentioned how Williams needs to have a good training camp in order to make the 53-man roster, so he’ll definitely have his work cut out for him, but shouldn’t be pushed to the side just yet.

Gordon also mentioned the situations at wide receiver, safety, and cornerback are interesting as well.

"Second-round selection Mecole Hardman will make an instant impact in the receiving and return games, second-rounder Juan Thornhill is likely to start at safety, undrafted free agent Mark Fields is likely to contribute at cornerback and Saunders (picked in the third round) could earn a starting nod."

Defensive tackle is likely the most intriguing position to watch this summer and as Gordon mentioned, has several suitors who could fight for that fourth spot. Nnadi, Saunders, and Williams could all be options to grab that fourth spot along the defensive line and while Williams might have been written off by many Chiefs fans, don’t be so quick to do that just yet.

As for the other intriguing positions, wide receiver is less interesting now that Tyreek Hill won’t be serving a suspension. He and Sammy Watkins will be the two starters while guys like Demarcus Robinson and rookie Mecole Hardman see their fair share of opportunities as well.

Going back to defensive tackle though, keep your eyes peeled on who stands out this summer and grabs that fourth spot. It could be anyone’s game honestly.