Four stellar defensive standouts from Chiefs vs. Seahawks
By Matt Conner
Bryan Cook
The contributions of Bryan Cook aren’t going to stand out in the box score, but Cook showed up with a very solid game for the Chiefs on Saturday as part of an overall excellent defensive effort. In fact, Cook’s own execution and tackling prowess was a big part of why the Chiefs enjoyed the defensive performance that they did against Seattle.
Cook is often overlooked as the Chiefs’ second of two second-round picks (even typing that sounds overly redundant), and it’s easy to understand why. The Chiefs had two first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, and those selections always earn a hype of their own. Then the Chiefs added Skyy Moore just a few picks before Cook, and he was their only considerable offensive investment, which brought a ton of attention his way as well.
As for Cook, he entered the picture as a hard-hitting safety out of Cincinnati whose future was brighter than his present. That’s because the Chiefs still had Juan Thornhill promising an All-Pro season in a contract year at one starting role and Justin Reid as the major free agent prize taking over for Tyrann Mathieu. Between all of the storylines on the team, there just wasn’t much room to tell Cook’s story.
The good news is that Cook is allowing his abilities to talk for him, and he showed up on Saturday with a strong defensive effort as a starter-in-waiting who will likely step in for Thornhill next season and beyond. He’s already shown a strong nose for making plays on the ball, and his instincts are pro-ready. It’ll be fun to see how high his ceiling goes for K.C.