KC Chiefs: Evaluating the safety position for Kansas City
Additions
The Chiefs made several acquisitions at safety this offseason, both through the draft and free agency. Let’s take a look at some of the Chiefs’ most notable safety additions this offseason.
Justin Reid
After four seasons with the Houston Texans, safety Justin Reid signed a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Reid will be expected to replace his former Houston teammate Tyrann Mathieu.
The Texans used the 68th selection in the 2018 NFL Draft on him and he was a starting player for them throughout his entire tenure. His first two seasons in the league went a lot better than his last two. According to Pro Football Focus ($), Reid earned very good PFF overall defensive grades of 77.4 and 76.7 in 2018 and 2019, respectively, but grades of 60.7 in 2020 and 50.9 in 2021 (60.0 is considered “average”).
Reid did have down seasons the past two seasons in Houston but the Texans have been riddled with dysfunction and controversy from the top down over those years. Maybe he will bounce back and be a steal for Kansas City but he also could perform like he has the past two seasons and not be the Honey Bader replacement the Chiefs want.
Deon Bush
The Chiefs brought in former longtime Bear Deon Bush on a one-year contract in March of this year.
Bush will likely serve as a depth player for 2022 and will likely compete for a roster spot well. He has never played at least 400 defensive snaps in any of his six NFL seasons. In 2021, he set a career in tackles and interceptions with 40 and 2, respectively.
Nazeeh Johnson
The Chiefs made ten sections in the 2022 NFL Draft and safety Nazeeh Johnson from Marshall was the final one.
Johnson is an athletic but undersized guy and will likely see mainly special teams action if he makes the final roster. But he will very likely finish behind Bryan Cook, Juan Thornhill, and Justin Reid for a roster spot, and likely Bush as well. In order to make the team, he will absolutely have to beat out other bubble players, like Zayne Anderson and Devon Key, for a special teams spot.
Lonnie Johnson
Lonnie Johnson was traded by the Houston Texans to the Chiefs in exchange for a conditional 2024 seventh-round pick. He will reunite with former Texans teammate Justin Reid in Kansas City. Originally, he was a second-round pick out of Kentucky in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Texans.
It feels safe to say that his career has not gone as planned while in Houston. But the Chiefs have shown that they are not afraid to take flyers on players who were premium picks, but haven’t lived up to expectations on their original teams, see Deandre Baker and Mike Hughes.
Even though he is listed as a cornerback, I do not believe that Lonnie Johson will be a corner for the Chiefs. In Houston, he spent the majority of last season, and the high majority of 2020, as a safety. Also, due to the Chiefs having several guys ahead of him on the cornerback depth chart, it would make sense for the Chiefs to try him out at safety.
Bryan Cook
The Chiefs used their second second-round pick and fourth overall selection on hard-hitting former Cincinnati Bearcat safety Bryan Cook.
Based on the skillset show in college, Cook will likely replace Dan Sorenson but hopefully a better version of Dirty Dan. His strengths include his toughness and football IQ. His areas for improvement are his quickness/speed and technique as a tacker. He is a willing tackler but the technique doesn’t always follow, like a former Chiefs who wore #49.
He is a near-lock to make the team at the end of training but will likely have to beat out Juan Thornhill for a starting spot in base defense. But Steve Spagnuolo is not opposed to using three safeties simultaneously.