Kansas City Chiefs fans got the complete upheaval they wanted

Chiefs fans were asking for a complete change on the defensive side of the ball after the AFC Championship loss and that is exactly what they got.

Following the AFC Championship Game loss back in January, Kansas City Chiefs fans everywhere were calling for a complete overhaul of the defense. Well, Chiefs Kingdom, someone in the front office must have heard you because you all got exactly what you asked for.

The Chiefs have officially completely upended the defense. I’m not talking about a small change here or there but a massive and complete change.

First, and most obviously, the Chiefs fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton and replaced him with Steve Spagnuolo. This was absolutely necessary (and probably a season too late). The Chiefs moved on from a defensive coordinator who was unwilling to make in-game changes or give young players a chance. His replacement is a defensive coordinator who is (hopefully) aggressive and relies on young talent. Not only did the Chiefs replace their defensive coordinator, but they replaced the entire defensive coaching staff as well, adding Matt House to coach the linebackers as just one of the notable hires.

The second point takes a little bit of exploring. If you remember back 18 months ago, the Chiefs defense looked slightly different.

It is shocking to see that only one starter, maybe two, remains with the team. In just 18 months, the Chiefs ousted Bennie Logan, Justin Houston, Derrick Johnson, Ramik Wilson, Dee Ford, Marcus Peters, Terrance Mitchell, Ron Parker, and Eric Berry. With Allen Bailey as a free agent likely to draw interest, we are looking at one lone defensive starter remaining on the Chiefs squad in defensive lineman Chris Jones. He’s been a monster for the Chiefs and is obviously one piece the Chiefs would like to build around, but it is absolutely insane to think that this much change could come in 18 months.

The biggest news stories of this year were the release of Justin Houston (although that one was the least surprising), the trade of franchise-tagged Dee Ford to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2020 2nd round pick, and the release of Eric Berry. These three have been stalwarts of the defense for years. Now we are left with what appears to be a defense in shambles. Who would have thought that just a few short months would result in such upheaval and what does this mean for the Chiefs moving forward?

Well, with the signing of Tyrann Mathieu, the signing of Damien Wilson, and the rumors floating now of Ronald Darby visiting the Chiefs, it looks like the defense is looking to get younger – a trend that has already proven effective on the offensive side of the ball. The Chiefs have young players in Kendall Fuller, Charvarius Ward, Armani Watts, Dorian O’Daniel, Breeland Speaks, and Tanoh Kpassagnon, each of whom will need to step up to fill the gaps the recent activity has left.

This is surely a gamble by the Chiefs. Everyone is aware that as each year ticks by, Patrick Mahomes is slowly graduating from his rookie contract. These are the seasons when the Chiefs need to capitalize because, inevitably, they will need to pay the league’s reigning MVP.

Hopefully, with the complete upheaval of the defense (which everyone was calling for), the Chiefs can finally have a defense to support their Ferrari-level offense—one that won’t set foot offsides and will be able to stop a third-and-long.