How does the Kansas City Chiefs interior defensive line hold up to the rest of their AFC West rivals?
Last month, I published a series of articles comparing the AFC West offenses to one another. This month, I will be doing the same for the defenses of the division.
Today, we start the series with interior defensive linemen. Next, we will discuss edge rushers. Then, it will be linebackers. After that, will be cornerbacks. Finally, we will end the series by discussing the safeties in the AFC West
Interior defensive linemen record the lowest stats out of all defensive players, so this was a relatively difficult article to piece together. These rankings and lineups are based off of the PFF Grades and PFF Team Lineups and are using base 3-4/4-3 defenses.
DENVER BRONCOS (BASE 3-4)
D.J. Jones (RDE) — PFF DI RANK: 18/109
Jones is entering his sixth season in the NFL, first for the Broncos. In 2021, he recorded 43 solo tackles, 11 assists, 2 sacks, and one forced fumble. PFF graded him at 73.7/100. He vastly improved from his 2020 season, in which he only recorded 13 solo tackles, 6 assists, and 2 sacks.
Mike Purcell (NT) — PFF DI RANK: 39/109
Purcell has regressed since his peak season in 2019. In that season, he recorded 37 solo tackles and 14 assists. Last season, he only recorded 24 solo tackles and 10 assists. Maybe he will improve under a new defensive coordinator, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for that.
Dre’Mont Jones (LDE) — PFF DI RANK: 61/109
Jones is the worst interior defensive lineman on the Broncos. He’s an okay pass rusher, but his run defense reduces his overall PFF grade to only 57.8. In 2021, he recorded 16 solo tackles, 8 assists, 5 sacks, and one forced fumble. This is an absolutely massive regression from his 2020 season, in which he recorded 25 solo tackles, 9 assists, and 7 sacks.
Points: 3
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (BASE 3-4)
Morgan Fox (RDE) — PFF DI RANK: 67/109
Fox is an average interior lineman. He’s the worst IDL on the Chargers, but he’s not bad. He’s remained very steady in his play since becoming a starter. In 2021, he recorded 22 solo tackles, 10 assists, 3 sacks, and one forced fumble.
Austin Johnson (NT) — PFF DI RANK: 57/109
Johnson is a good nose tackle. In 2021, he recorded 44 solo tackles, 21 assists, and 3 sacks. That is an improvement over his 2020 season, in which he only recorded 11 solo tackles, 5 assists, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble.
Sebastian Joseph-Day (LDE) — PFF DI RANK: 49/109
Now, we move on to the best interior defensive lineman on the Chargers, Joseph-Day. Sorry, let me correct myself. Super Bowl Champion, Sebastian Joseph-Day. Unfortunately, he didn’t actually play in the Super Bowl due to a pectoral injury. However, that isn’t to say that he wasn’t influential in the Rams’ regular season. He had 28 solo tackles, 8 assists, and 3 sacks. This was a regression statistically from his 2020 season, in which he had 42 solo tackles, 13 assists, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble.
Points: 2
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (BASE 4-3)
Jonathan Hankins (RDT) — PFF DI RANK: 92/109
Hankins had a fantastic year in 2017, recording 33 solo tackles, 9 assists, and 2 sacks. Since then, he has been less productive. Last season, he only recorded 20 solo tackles and 15 assists.
Bilal Nichols (LDT) — PFF DI RANK: 51/109
In 2021, Nichols recorded 31 solo tackles, 18 assists, and 4 sacks. This was a step down from his 2020 season, in which he recorded 24 solo tackles, 13 assists, and 6 sacks.
Points: 1
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (BASE 4-3)
Chris Jones (RDT) — PFF DI RANK: 5/109
Chris Jones is a fantastic interior defensive lineman. He has been since he entered the league in 2016. In 2021, 13 solo tackles, 5 assists,10 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. It was a slight drop from his 2020 season, in which 21 solo tackles, 9 assists, 8 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles.
Derrick Nnadi (LDT) — PFF DI RANK: 77/109
Nnadi, on the other hand, was the opposite of Jones last season. He regressed from his 2020 season. In ’21, he only recorded 26 solo tackles, 11 assists, and 4 sacks. Compare that to his 2020 season, in which he recorded 34 solo tackles, 14 assists, and 1 sack. I want to believe that Nnadi will have a breakout year in 2022, but I just don’t think he will.
Points: 4
The Best: Chiefs
This one is actually a surprisingly tight race between the Chiefs and the Broncos. Yes, Chris Jones is a top-5 interior defender. However, Nnadi is in the bottom half. The Broncos have a more balanced interior defensive line. Meanwhile, the Chargers and Raiders weren’t even in the competition.
We’ll be doing the rankings in this series the same way we did for the offensive rankings. The current standings are as follows:
- Chiefs (4)
- Broncos (3)
- Chargers (2)
- Raiders (1)