Film room: Tyrann Mathieu is Kansas City Chiefs newest weapon
By Grant Tuttle
Ability to play free safety and lock down half of the field
Although he is listed as free safety, Mathieu is not the rangy Earl Thomas type. That being said, his closing ability is very good and he shows it frequently.
On this play, Mathieu closes on the receiver before he has a chance to get his feet down for the catch. Although the pass is not excellent, it was adequate for a completion. Unfortunately for Washington, Honey Badger is able to close on the receiver quicker than the average safety. With his speed and strength, Mathieu forces the receiver out of bounds for an incompletion.
Final Analysis
I love the signing of Tyrann Mathieu for many reasons; However, none more than his versatility. Very rarely can you find an NFL player that accels at this many parts of his game. He is a swiss-army knife of a defense. The NFL rarely uses the term “weapon” regarding a defensive player. In this case, I think the Chiefs have found a rare defensive weapon.
The signing of Mathieu also provides flexibility. If the Chiefs want to sign more free agents or wait until the draft, they can now choose where the greater value is between cornerback and safety. While I believe that Kansas City will likely utilize Mathieu as a strong safety most of the time, if they are weak at cornerback, they could move him there. Now, if Kansas City finds
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a safety in the first or second round that they deem a starter, they can slide Honey Badger to cornerback without missing a beat.
This is an excellent acquisition and among the best of general manager Brett Veach’s young career. Get ready for the culture change on defense. It has officially arrived.