Kansas City Chiefs: Ranking three best position groups in 2020
By Kole Berrey
Three Best Position Groups for KC Chiefs – Number 2: Safety
What was once a weakness has turned into one of the team’s biggest strengths. This position group has it all – An elite chess piece, a promising young star, and sturdy veteran to round it all out.
Tyrann Mathieu is one of the game’s most elite players, and was a big reason the team turned its defense around in 2019. Mathieu made the All-Pro list on two different spots last year, one as a safety and the other as a defensive back. That kind of versatility allows the Chiefs to do a lot on defense, as well as get other players on the field and optimize lineups and match ups.
Juan Thornhill is just as much of a reason that this group comes in at number two on this ranking. He may not have had the type of year that Mathieu did last year, but Thornhill showed that even as a rookie, he has the potential to take his game to that level.
In the back half of the year, Thornhill paired with Mathieu to make one of the best safety duos in the entire league. His season was cut short because of an injury, but assuming he comes back at the level he was playing at (spoiler alert: he will) he is poised to take the next step as a dominant player in his own right.
Rounding out the safety group is wild card Daniel Sorensen, who has had an up and down career with the Chiefs thus far. Just two years ago, when the Chiefs secondary was battling the injury bug and Sorensen returned to be the team’s top safety in the back half of the season, things looked grim.
As the top guy, Sorensen struggled to consistently make plays and carry the back end of the defense. Things changed when Mathieu and Thornhill came to town.
This allowed Dirty Dan to be used more situationaly and in places that fit his skill set. This was apparent in the playoffs, because when the Chiefs needed a big play, Sorensen delivered.
When your third best player in the group happens to be a starting caliber player, you know you are well off, and that is why the Chiefs safeties are number two on this list.