Camp Report: Chiefs Defensive Youth Movement

It’s clear that when the Kansas City Chiefs began their offseason following the loss to the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead, that one of the topics of discussion was: how can we get younger? In fact, that appears to have been on the discussion docket for the past two years as well. Of course, a couple of years ago, many in the organization, as well as Chiefs Kingdom, were caught up in the “Run It Back” campaign, and we all know how that turned out. However, let’s take a look at the Chiefs defense as it’s constructed right now while examining the ages of their players.

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The average age for the players most likely to see time and snaps on defense for the Chiefs in 2022 is –> 24.3 years old. Now, based upon these numbers we can expect the Chiefs to make some moves during the next offseason, if not before, to bring in younger talent along the DL. If you take Clark, Nnadi, and Jones out of this numbers mix, the average age only goes down by one year –> 23.3. That’s not to say K.C. doesn’t already have some younger talent lined up to get on the field. Here’s a look at the ages of some of the other defensive players on the roster (in camp):

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From an article called: “Does Youth Movement Create Faster Start This Season” Braden Holecek says:

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“Arguably, this new, young core is constructed perfectly…. Guys like Bolton and Gay proved that they are willing to take on any challengers from the opposing offense without any hesitancy. On top of that, the incoming rookies have a major opportunity in front of them. Not many young defenders have been given the same fate in Kansas City over the last few years. With having that to seize, the Chiefs young defense and overall new team core could benefit greatly because of the changes in philosophy.”

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When Willie Gay was drafted with the 63rd pick two years ago, is likely the beginning of this idea to get younger on defense. Gay was only 22 then. That’s also when GM Brett Veach took L’Jarius Sneed with the 138th pick of the draft (in the 4th round) and Sneed was only 23 at the time. Both players were thrown into the fire of game situations, Sneed more than Gay, and Sneed landed in the top ten of a re-draft by Draft Wire.

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Apparently, the Chiefs coaches are doing a great job when they do use rookies. They’ll have to be especially well schooled this year as the Chiefs have probably the hardest schedule and “11 of the first 12 teams this team will face had a winning record last season.” Consequently, the rookies who are used early will need to step right in and step right up.

Chiefs.com’s Matt McMullen wrote a piece called: “Pre-Camp Breakdown: Looking at the Chiefs’ Young & Talented Group of Defensive Backs” in which he states that many of the defensive backs who are used in Steve Spagnuolo’s system are interchangeable from CB to Safety. McMullen also says:

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“This group features a handful of players who enter camp as unquestioned starters, including Sneed, Reid and Thornhill. Many of the others, however, will be fighting for a spot on the team. Kansas City infused an abundance of talent and youth into its secondary this offseason, adding 10 players who weren’t with the organization last season.”

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With Joe Cullen as the Chiefs DL coach, and Brendan Daly moving to coach the LBs, the Chiefs have a bevy of experienced and knowledgeable teachers for this young defense. McMullen goes on to note:

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“… it’s worth mentioning that Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo often fields three safeties at once…. That means that while Justin Reid and Juan Thornhill enter the season as the Chiefs’ starting safeties, there’s plenty of reason to watch if Bryan Cook – or another player, such as Deon Bush – can seize that coveted third safety spot.”

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I’m struck by the personal nature of making the changes the Chiefs have made this offseason, especially on defense. Steve Spagnuolo addressed those changes this offseason:

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“First of all, we’re human, right?” Spagnuolo said. “Relationships are built, so I miss people. The guys you mentioned [Tyrann Mathieu and Anthony Hitchens] and others. But, in the profession as coach, you move on. You try to build and develop and come up with something else. And to the second part of the question with the leadership, we just look and see where it goes right now. 

“Some guys are natural, they step up. I’m in their ears once in a while giving a couple pointers here or there. We’ll see where it goes. I think it’s going to take a little time…. But there are some positive signs, so hopefully it keeps going like that.”

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The Chiefs have chosen a new path for the team with all the turnover on the roster. Let’s just hope those changes are for the better. Younger? Yes, absolutely. But better? The final say is still out there. What do you think? Are you happy with the youth movement the Chiefs have begun?

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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