The Kansas City Chiefs have had to undergo a few different makeovers during the Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes era. When Mahomes first took over as the starter, the team won games thanks to their explosive offense. In 2023, the team shifted to more of a defensive approach, winning games on the back of its defense.
The hope is that things can balance out a bit moving forward but the Chiefs defense is undergoing another makeover this offseason. Trent McDuffie was traded, Jaylen Watson left for Los Angeles, and Bryan Cook is also off to greener pastures.
The result is a Chiefs defense that has plenty of question marks and a lot of people unsure about what it's capable of. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report ranked all 32 NFL defenses following the 2026 NFL Draft and put the Chiefs' D right in the middle of his rankings, placing them at No. 17.
"After trading cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams and losing Jaylen Watson in free agency, Kansas City's pass defense is undergoing a major overhaul. The team brought in Kader Kohou in free agency and drafted Mansoor Delane sixth overall, but the Chiefs' cornerbacks will be vastly different in 2026.
The pass rush is also a concern. Defensive tackle Chris Jones and edge-rusher George Karlaftis are back, and the team spent a second-rounder on edge-rusher R Mason Thomas, but Kansas City had just 35 sacks as a team in 2025.
There's stability at linebacker with Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill back, but a defense that can't rush the passer and has uncertainty on the back end means that Steve Spagnuolo has his work cut out for him this season."
Chiefs defense sits smack dab in the middle in Bleacher Report rankings
It's hard to argue with this logic. The Chiefs have question marks at cornerback and at pass rush, which are obviously two pretty massive pieces of a defense. The hope is that rookie Mansoor Delane can come in and immediately wreak havoc but even still, the Chiefs need to hope their pass rush is better than it was last year.
The good news is that the Chiefs have arguably the best in the biz running the defense in Steve Spagnuolo. The biggest thing is the pass rush finally coming into its own and, if all goes well, the addition of R Mason Thomas can help Chris Jones and George Karlaftis thrive at getting after the quarterback. If the pass rush doesn't improve though, it could be another long year for the Chiefs defense.
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