The Kansas City Chiefs are dealing with the increasing possibility of being forced to replace defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. While the Chiefs need to make meaningful changes, the veteran DC was one of the few consistent contributors to the 2025 season. Despite having clear concerns about generating a pass rush and getting a consistent level of performance from the defensive line, the Chiefs limited opposing offenses to 19.3 points throughout the season.
In other words, losing Spagnuolo would be a massive blow.
Spagnuolo has four Super Bowl rings and is heading into an offseason that might leave K.C. fans heartbroken. If the beloved DC leaves and the Chiefs want to hire an internal option, it should be defensive backs coach Dave Merritt.
Of Kansas City's in-house options, Merritt has the most impressive resume and has worked with Spagnuolo for the longest time. If there is anyone on the current staff capable of running the same defense, it is Merritt.
Dave Merritt Is the Perfect Steve Spagnuolo Successor for Chiefs
The former NFL linebacker started his coaching career in 2001 with the New York Jets before joining the New York Giants in 2004. It is there that Spagnuolo and Merritt would first cross paths, working on the same defensive coaching staff that pushed the Giants to a Super Bowl over Tom Brady's New England Patriots in 2007.
Merritt would stay with the Giants until the 2017 season, when he would depart for another coaching role as the defensive backs coach with the Arizona Cardinals. This was a short-lived stint with Spagnuolo and Merritt teaming up once again in the 2019 season, joining the Chiefs as the defensive backs coach, and he has maintained the role since. Furthering his qualifications are the two Super Bowls won during this time, as well as the consistent performance of a secondary that has gone through consistent offseason changes.
While Spagnuolo understandably gets all of the credit for any defensive success, the ability to delegate to a strong staff is obviously a part of what has made the Chiefs' defense so consistent. Under Spagnuolo, the defense gave up the 10th fewest yards in the league in 2025 despite having consistent injuries, little pass rush, and underperforming veterans in the secondary.
This illustrates just how vital it is to keep Spagnuolo or at least keep his winning system in place if the coordinator does take a head coaching job. The simplest path to accomplishing this is hiring from within. Merritt clearly knows the system incredibly well and will be aided by years of experience. If head coach Andy Reid doesn't want to undergo an outside search, if Spagnuolo walks away, the franchise isn't going to find a better answer than the 54-year-old DBs guru.