How much has Kansas City Chiefs defense improved since 2021?

Defensive Line

Players Lost and Percentage of 2021 Defensive Snaps:

Jarran Reed (63.72%)
Alex Okafor (41.38%)
Melvin Ingram (30.92%)

Significant Additions:

George Karlaftis
Carlos Dunlap

Let’s start by talking about the defensive end position because that’s where most fans saw the biggest need for improvement. Alex Okafor was a replacement-level player last season and the fact that he played 41 percent of K.C.’s defensive snaps is an indictment of how weak the position was. Melvin Ingram may have accounted for just 30 percent of KC’s defensive snaps for the season, but he played a much higher percentage once he joined the team. He is really the only significant loss for K.C. on the edge. Both on paper and based on what we’ve seen in the preseason, this should be an area of improvement for the Chiefs. George Karlaftis has looked like the real thing both at camp and in the preseason games. The fact that K.C. added both Karlaftis and a seasoned veteran like Dunlap makes me feel much better than I did one year ago. If Frank Clark really is even slightly better than last season that will just be an added bonus.

When we talk about the defensive tackle position things get a little less clear-cut. The Chiefs lost Jarran Reed who led the team in snaps at defensive tackle but failed to make a significant impact. You can make a case that the Chiefs aren’t losing much, but they also didn’t do anything of real significance to replace him. As of my writing this it looks like most of Reed’s snaps will be split between two guys that were already getting playing time last year (Derrick Nnadi and Tershawn Wharton). Nnadi played about 40 percent of the snaps last year and Wharton was slightly above that at close to 45 percent. The Chiefs will likely need a fourth defensive tackle to be part of the rotation with Chris Jones, Nnadi, and Wharton, but as I’m writing this it’s still unknown who that will be. Candidates before final roster cut down include Khalen Saunders, Taylor Stallworth, Danny Shelton, or possibly even a player cut by another team.

I certainly don’t think we can confidently say that the defensive tackle position will be improved, but will Reed’s departure be felt enough to consider the group downgraded? While I definitely think the defensive tackle position is a little lacking, I don’t think I can say that I think the position is worse off enough that it would eclipse the improvement at defensive end. Basically, I think defensive tackle may be a wash and I see Dunlap as a comparable replacement for Ingram. However, I see Karlaftis as a massive improvement over Alex Okafor so that sways things to the improved side for this season.

VERDICT: ROSTER IMPROVED

Now let’s talk about the linebackers.