Tanoh Kpassagnon is feeling confident as he heads into a contract season in 2020.
Tanoh Kpassagnon is ready to turn the corner. It’s not surprising given that the Kansas City Chiefs defensive end is also entering his contract year. As Terez Paylor always says, “The contract year is undefeated.”
Perhaps no member of the Chiefs roster has more potential on the defensive side than Kpassagnon. Few players in the entire NFL can match his ridiculous length, but he’s also very strong and incredibly athletic. For Kpassagnon, the struggle at the next level was always going to be about development—how to channel such a rare, God-given skill set into a complete package with proper technique and mental recognition.
Taken in the second round in the 2017 NFL Draft, sandwiched between picks for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and running back Kareem Hunt, Kpassagnon was praised as a dominant pass rushing prospect from the beginning. Former GM John Dorsey compared him to Sean Jones, who just happened to have 113 sacks in a 13-year career with the Raiders, Oilers and Packers.
After two years in Bob Sutton’s defensive schemes, Kpassagnon earned more playing time than ever in his first season learning from Steve Spagnuolo and his staff. Kpassagnon started 8 games at defensive end for the Chiefs, largely in relief of the injured Alex Okafor, and played in all 16 contests. He responded with 29 tackles, 11 quarterback hits, 4 sacks, 2 passes deflected, and 1 forced fumble.
More importantly, Kpassagnon added another 3 quarterback hits and 2 sacks during the Chiefs postseason run to their first championship in 50 years. The Villanova product credits what he learned in the Super Bowl with the confidence he feels heading into his fourth season.
"“I’m always looking to grow, especially by making those key sacks and key plays. Being able to play in the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl just boosted my confidence and it boosted the whole team’s confidence,” Kpassagnon said. “We know what we are, and we know exactly what we need to do [in order] to do it again.”"
The defensive end room is quite crowded for the Chiefs in 2020, which means Kpassagnon is going to need to earn his reps as the team attempts to “run it back.” That said, he’s got the best possible angle on the starting role opposite Frank Clark. Okafor is returning from injury, as is Breeland Speaks. Michael Danna is raw as a fifth-round rookie import, and Taco Charlton is hoping to hang on after being released by the Dolphins. Demone Harris, Tim Ward, and Devaroe Lawrence are all roster hopefuls, but Kpassagnon shouldn’t feel threatened for his reps there.
Given the contract year status, it will be interesting to see just how much of a leap forward in production Kpassagnon can make. Offensive lines will have their hands full with Frank Clark and Chris Jones along the defensive front already, which means whoever is on the outside for the Chiefs should have one-on-one matchups for days. Kpassagnon’s natural skill set should earn him plenty of wins there, but the Chiefs have believed this before about the defensive end.
Then again, Kpassagnon looks as ready as ever and the postseason run proved what he can do up front when it matters most. Now there’s a major paycheck on the line from someone with free agency looming in 2021. If he can help the Chiefs earn a second title and boost his numbers in the process, someone is going to make him an offer he can’t refuse—and keep the contract year undefeated.