With the offseason coming to a close, TGH will take a look at the 2022 Kansas City Chiefs Defense. Their defensive unit was middle of the pack last season, and they lost more key players than they added in this offseason. Here is a full review of the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive personnel.

Defensive Line

The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing back three starters on the defensive line. These starters consist of Frank Clark, Derrick Nnandi and defensive leader Chris Jones. In this years first round the Chiefs utilized one of their picks by selecting edge rusher George Karlaftis.

Karlaftis will mainly add to the Chiefs’ pass rush as he wasn’t the most polished when it came to run stopping. Kansas City’s defensive line will be a solid unit and will be hard to contain for most offensive lines.

Linebackers

The Chiefs’ linebacker core is decent, but there is still much to be desired. Two starters will be returning in Nick Bolton and Willie Gay. The new member of the group is Jermaine Carter, Jr. who was acquired this offseason after a lackluster year with the Panthers. This group will not be the deciding factor in the run game or in pass support. But they should be able to hold up and help the defense enough to stop opposing offenses.

Cornerbacks

With questions about the secondary looming all offseason, Kansas City selected corner Trent McDuffie with their first pick in the draft. McDuffie will most likely be starting along side emerging corner L’Jarius Sneed. The Chiefs’ secondary was a big issue in last years playoff run and they hope trading up for McDuffie will help solve the problem. The main issue for this group is size on the outside. McDuffie is 5’11 and fits the role of slot corner much better than being an outside corner. Expect McDuffie to have trouble with the larger outside receivers.

Safeties

This position has been the largest question for the defense all offseason. When All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu leaves the team there was a big hole to fill. Mathieu did it all for this defense. He made plays in the air and was also a formidable run stopping safety. To help heal the hole left by Mathieu the Chiefs brought in a promising young player in Justin Reid originally on the Texans.

Reid is a very consistent player as he has had multiple interceptions in multiple seasons. He will be a valuable addition to the team but wont be able to live up to Mathieu’s production. The other starting safety for this year’s team will be Juan Thornhill who had a very quiet 2021 season and will look to prove himself in this defense.

Review

Kansas City’s defense as a whole will be a mostly productive unit. They are hurt by the loss of their leader and best player Mathieu, but have done a good job at getting a replacement at his position. The rest of the group stayed the same with a few key additions through the draft. Those players drafted could prove valuable to the team and change the future landscape of this defense. But they must prove themselves in the NFL first.

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