KC Chiefs vs. Eagles: Five players who can help themselves most
By Matt Conner
Mike Danna
As the Chiefs head into Sunday’s game against the Eagles, they’re woefully thin along the defensive front. The team is still experimenting with Chris Jones outside to mixed results so far in the season’s early goings. Frank Clark, the other cornerstone along the line, is out, which means there’s plenty of reps to go around for a guy like Mike Danna.
Danna was a big surprise for the Chiefs last year from the moment his name was turned in on the fifth round card in the 2020 NFL Draft. A rotational player out of Michigan, Danna lacked any real pre-draft buzz and was likely slotted as a late Day 3 pick or even undrafted free agent by most analysts. Not only did Danna make the Chiefs roster, but he was able to earn considerable playing time in a rookie season with 13 games and even one start.
After putting up 2.5 sacks in rotational playing time last year (he played in 31 percent of all defensive snaps), Danna is being tasked with considerably more responsibility in year two. Not only is he playing over 60 percent of all snaps but he’s not embarrassing himself out there in the role. He’s shown the ability to set the edge against the run while also providing some disruptive snaps on passing downs.
Danna already has four pressures and one sack this season, but he’s the sort of player who gets noticeably better with each passing game. The Chiefs raved about how teachable he was coming into the league, that he absorbed anything given to him, and it’s showing on the field with the team’s trust of him with a lot more PT.
With Frank Clark out again, Danna is starting to get noticed a lot more by Chiefs Kingdom and even some outside of K.C. A big win over the Eagles could give Danna a starring opportunity to show out.