KC Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen had an immense impact in 2022
When you think of the well-coached teams in the National Football League, it’s likely those thoughts conjure up an image of the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s largely due to the brain trust at the top of the coaching hierarchy over the past several years. It begins with future Hall of Fame head coach Andy Reid.
After winning Super Bowl LVII, he’s opened up a different conversation about his place in the pantheon of all-time coaches. Steve Spagnuolo and new Washington Commanders assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy also deserve their share of the podium for the winning culture they’ve helped to build in Kansas City.
Despite becoming one of the elite organizations in the NFL due to the contributions of those three men, it’s not often the Chiefs are regarded for the work of their position coaches. That changed a bit in 2022, with the addition of defensive line coach Joe Cullen.
The longtime defensive assistant has made the rounds in the league mostly in his present position. He’s had stints with the Ravens, Buccaneers, Browns and a pair of tours with the Jaguars. Most of his time has been spent in his current role, but he did have one year of experience as the defensive coordinator for Jacksonville.
This past season, his work for the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive line helped orchestrate the second-ranked pass rush in the NFL. KC’s defense posted 55 sacks on the season. Cullen’s defensive line group accounted for 40.5 of those 55 sacks (an eye-popping 73%).
He did that with one elite talent in All-Pro Chris Jones, two aging veterans (Carlos Dunlap and Frank Clark), a first-rounder in George Karlaftis and an ensemble of middling reserves and roleplayers. If Cullen can pull that kind of production out of a group of largely league-average talent, what more could he accomplish with a few more young players with higher ceilings?
With the 2023 NFL Draft approaching, there’s much debate about what the Chiefs will do with the 31st pick in the opening round. Many have suggested that one position that may provide the highest value at the bottom of the first round is at edge. Names like Nolan Smith, Will McDonald IV, Mazi Smith and Calijah Kancey come to mind.
One has to wonder if the smart play, during Cullen’s tenure, is to keep feeding him with top defensive line talent. Where else can you expect to get the largest return on your draft investment than at a position where you have excellent coaching?
Take George Karlaftis for example. In Weeks 1-10, he amassed just a half-sack and five quarterback hits. From Week 11 on, he recorded 6.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits. Some of that is due in part to a natural acclimation process to the speed of the NFL game, but another piece of that has to be the result of good coaching throughout the season.
If Kansas City gives Cullen another top-flight prospect in the 2023 draft, they could become one of the best young defensive lines in the National Football League.
In years past, the Chiefs have thrown some hefty contracts around across the defensive line. They’ve done so to mixed results. We may never have a consensus on whether or not Frank Clark was worth the four-year contract he signed back in 2019 (spoiler alert: he was).
Since then, there’s been raucous debate about the ROI that’s come from the defensive line for all the money the team sank into the position group. At this stage, perhaps the answer is to outfit Cullen with more players like veteran Carlos Dunlap and rookie George Karlaftis? A new strategy, that relies more heavily on coaching to maximize inexpensive talent, maybe the way into the future. The 2023 NFL Draft may deliver those answers.