KC Chiefs FA profile: Daniel Sorensen hits the market on a sour note

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Nov 21, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen (49) breaks up a pass intended for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ced Wilson (1) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Why bring him back?

Wow, this list is short.

For optimism’s sake, Sorensen is very familiar with Spagnuolo’s scheme. He has been in Kansas City for Spagsnuolo’s entire tenure as defensive coordinator. Sorensen could serve as a continuity option if Mathieu leaves in free agency, helping ease the transition to a new or younger safety.

In the past, Sorensen showed good instincts at the line of scrimmage. Those quality instincts helped make some key plays this past season, albeit few and far between. At the end of the day, Sorensen is a wily, team-first veteran who has the mind for football.

Why let him leave?

Now here is where the meat is.

Sorensen was awful in 2021. Even on a historically bad Chiefs defense, Sorensen stood out. His 25% missed tackle percentage was the league’s worst, with 17 missed tackles. Sorensen allowed a 132.9 passer rating in 17 games, the fourth-worst in the league. The awful statistics continue for Sorensen, as there are many to list. Kansas City Star’s Pete Grathoff pointed out how bad Sorensen was early in the season.

"At one point earlier this month, opposing quarterbacks had a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeting Sorensen. That was 50 points higher than last season."

Sorensen was near or a part of several highlight plays against Kansas City this year. He was a clear liability in coverage and could not be relied on up in the open field. Sorensen regressed quickly, while Kansas City greatly missed the quality depth he provided.

https://twitter.com/OleMissFB/status/1447381154697515008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1447381154697515008%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftouchdownwire.usatoday.com%2F2021%2F10%2F10%2Fchiefs-safety-daniel-sorensen-has-a-wanna-get-away-first-half-against-bills%2F

Sorensen was never an exceptional athlete, compared to his NFL peers, but he was a shell of his physical self in 2021. Football IQ can only carry a player so far, and it cannot carry Sorensen anymore.

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