KC Chiefs need for greater pass rush is evident to all

Every NFL team has roster concerns at this point, and the Kansas City Chiefs are no different. Even as they wear the mantle as favorites to win the Super Bowl next season, the Chiefs have needs ranging from slight to serious with the hopes that training camp will heal some of those areas with emerging competitors.

One area that is evident to all is the team’s pass rush. Yes, the Chiefs boast the presence of Chris Jones along the interior, who is arguably among the top 2-4 interior disruptors in the entire game. From there, however, the Chiefs came into the offseason with a need for more help outside and came away with little to show for it. They’ve actually lost more in free agency at the edge rusher role than they’ve gained, and in recent weeks, the team has been thrown curveballs with the talent they have.

The Chiefs need at pass rusher is obvious around the NFL.

Frank Clark is the biggest factor here in terms of the team’s ability to generate the pass rush needed to win games next season. Will he live up to the contract that comes in at $20 million annually? Pro Football Focus pointed to the Chiefs’ pass rush as their biggest weakness and specifically singled out Clark.

"Clark profiling more as a below-average starter than the top-flight edge the Chiefs expected only accentuates the lack of difference-makers on the defensive line beyond Jones."

Clark was recently arrested for having an concealed firearm in California, an issue that remains unresolved and makes it hard to tell if there will be any potential punishment. Will Clark be forced to miss a game? How will this affect anything, if at all, down the road?

The good news is that the team did manage to bolster the interior with the signing of former Seattle Seahawks lineman Jarran Reed. That, in turn, is allowing the Chiefs to experiment with moving Jones outside at end from time to time. Just how much is anyone’s guess at this point, and you can bet the Chiefs will experiment during the preseason to see how Jones looks out there. But if Clark is already a disappointing asset with legal concerns surrounding him, then there’s still a need beyond Jones and Clark outside.

Joshua Kaindoh was the team’s fourth round pick, but he was a developmental piece who is going to require time to put it all together—if he can—after Florida State hoped he would do the same during his college career. Taco Charlton is bouncing back from a season-ending injury on a new one-year deal and it’s hard for anyone to believe the Chiefs are banking on him. MIke Danna is a rotational body, and Tim Ward has potential, but the same thing said about Charlton should also be said here.

In short, the Chiefs have bodies to throw at the problem, but there’s little here of dependable substance. It’s very possible that it all works out, but it’s also just as possible that it all falls apart. Jones is the rock in the middle with hopes that Reed takes to Steve Spagnuolo’s system, Clark channels an inner fire, Kaindoh contributes early, and Charlton plays with something to prove. That’s a lot of hope.

Maybe the Chiefs will try to add a bit of security to the position, but for now, the Chiefs’ need at pass rusher is evident to everyone.