KC Chiefs: Most intriguing positional battles for 2022

3. A Completely Revamped Secondary

I know up to this point you’ve been thinking, “what about the defense?” No doubt, for as many questions about the offense going into the offseason, there were equally (if not more) questions about the defense. Sure, those questions were pretty much across the board. What were the Chiefs going to do up front with the pass rush? What about with the linebacker core with the release of Anthony Hitchens? However, the most looming question of them all, what is going to happen to the secondary, is the one I am most intrigued about going into this season.

This question became even more apparent after the massive losses the Chiefs saw in the secondary once free agency began. That wave saw Tyrann Mathieu, Charvarius Ward, Mike Hughes, Daniel Sorenson, and Armani Watts relocate. That is A LOT to lose in one offseason, let alone within the same defensive group. I mean, outside of Hughes and Watts, each of those players played in more than 60% of all defensive snaps in 2021.

Most franchises in that situation would be on the horn 24-7 trying to recoup some of those losses in either free agency or via trade. Which the Chiefs definitely did by signing Deon Bush and Justin Reid, and trading for Lonnie Johnson Jr. albeit it came after the draft. I know I found myself asking “Is that it?” after seeing the signings of Bush and Reid. I am also willing to bet I was not alone in thinking that. The Chiefs and Veach, however, seemed to just play it cool and put all our worries to bed by totally loading up in the secondary during the draft.

Out of the 10 selections the Chiefs made during the 2022 draft, four of them were used on cornerbacks and one was spent on safety. The beauty of those selections is the fact that they were spent across the board. They took sure-fire prospects and day 1 contributors in Trent McDuffie and Bryan Cook in rounds 1 and 2. They also took some more unproven and raw, but exciting talent in Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, and Nazeeh Johnson through rounds 4 – 7.

Somewhat similar to the receiver core, the Chiefs are ready to totally revamp their secondary for this upcoming season. This makes for the most intriguing positional battle of the defense going into this season. Who is going to step up and replace the role/production of Mathieu? Who is going to step into the CB2 role and who is going to play in the slot/nickel packages?

I for one believe the Chiefs signed Justin Reid, with the mindset that he could be a younger version of what Honey Badger was for the Chiefs. He is a truly versatile player and I think he definitely has the potential to fill those shoes. (Long pause) but he is not Mathieu. Honestly, if Mathieu was just a couple of years younger, I don’t think the Chiefs even hesitate to sign him back. What makes Mathieu so special is his on-field instincts. You could totally tell a difference with the defense and how it all flowed when Mathieu was on the field versus when he wasn’t. Unfortunately, that type of talent and instinct is not something that is easily (if at all) coachable.

The front office definitely knew this going into the offseason. Otherwise, why would they spend a second-round pick on a safety? Honestly, I like the way Bryan Cook plays. His college highlight tape is filled with athletic plays on the ball and downright dumpster truck hits on the ball carrier in the run game. The dude plays mean, and I think his style is a somewhat better fit to cover the role/positions Mathieu played last year. I mean, just look at this instinctual play:

Either way, it’s certainly going to be an intriguing battle between Reid, Thornhill, and Cook to see who carves out the larger share of the defensive plays. The best of it, too, is that is only half of the intrigue with the secondary. The rest of it lies with the cornerbacks and who is going to carve out a share of the large play percentages left behind.

Outside of L’Jarius Sneed, the only returning corners that played in relevant portions of the defensive snaps are Rashad Fenton and Deandre Baker. However, Fenton only played in 47% and Baker played in 18%. I think it is apparent that Sneed and newly added McDuffie are sure things CB1 and CB2 going into the season. That still leaves a lot of playing time on the table, and with so many corners still on the roster outside of the four mentioned above, we are in for some ultra-competitive battles for work in a nickel package or just a roster spot in general. Either way, this is going to be a secondary with a completely different identity.