Kansas City Chiefs: Three bold predictions for defense in 2019
By Kole Berrey
Bold Prediction #3: Chiefs Finish as a Top Ten Defense
On the surface, this seems preposterous. How can a team go from one of the worst defenses we have seen in a living memory, to top freaking ten. The answer is simple. They have the NFL sack leader and the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
I will admit it will take a few more things to happen than just those two predictions coming true for the Chiefs to vault all the way to top ten status. Looking at the roster as it is constructed today, there seems to be a glaring weakness at the cornerback spot. The thing is the Chiefs corners didn’t perform too bad last year. I know, the eye test said otherwise, but it was actually the safeties and linebackers who had the biggest hand in making the defense exceptionally bad.
At safety, only Murray was graded in the above average region. At linebacker, no Chiefs players were graded at above average and only O’Daniel and Niemann were average. At cornerback, however, we had Fuller, Nelson, Scandrick, and Ward all at above average or good.
— PFF KC Chiefs (@PFF_Chiefs) February 21, 2019
According to @PFF_Chiefs, only Eric Murray played at an above average level at the safety position. The linebackers were even worse off, having only two role players with very minimal snaps playing at just an average level. This is great information to have, but you may ask what have the Chiefs done to remedy this? Well, a lot actually.
At safety, the Chiefs went out and got former All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu and invested a second round pick in (soon to be DROY) Juan Thornhill. Armani Watts, a fourth round pick last year, is set to the fold after ending his stint on IR. Also, Daniel Sorensen is entering the year healthy. He missed half of the season in 2018, as he started the season on Injured Reserve.
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Last year, the players that led the Chiefs in snaps at the safety position were Ron Parker and Eric Murray. Neither of those players are on the roster anymore. Usually, that is a cause for concern. This time around, it is cause for celebration.
Mathieu is going to be used all over the field as the Chiefs secret weapon; Thornhill will be tasked with being the ball hawking turnover machine; Dan Sorensen will be a reliable veteran who can also make his presence felt in the running game. The safety position looks to go from a weakness to a strength.
At linebacker, the Chiefs return starters Anthony Hitchens and Reggie Ragland. They also went out and signed Damien Wilson from the Cowboys and traded for former first round pick Darron Lee. Adding talent and depth behind two sturdy starter options should make for a consistently solid linebacker group.
Lee may be the most intriguing piece among them. He is known as a coverage linebacker, and the Chiefs were really bad in that regard last year. His talent levels are through the roof, and hopefully everything clicks for him in Kansas City.
Another aspect to consider is the Chiefs defensive line group. Jones returns with Derrick Nnadi as two big bodies on the inside. The Chiefs also acquired Frank Clark from the Seahawks and added Alex Okafor from the Saints.
That unit is big and physical. We know they will get theirs in the pass rush, but the Chiefs run defense should be miles ahead of where it was in the 2018 season. That is a prospect that should excite Chiefs fans.