There’s no comparison for the Kansas City Chiefs 2020 losses at one position – along the offensive line – when they lost their two best players (both Pro Bowl quality), plus a solid starter from the previous year in Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz, and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. If that happens to any other position group, the team is likely sunk for the rest of the year, and it’s a good bet they wouldn’t make as far as the Super Bowl. However, it’s just as unlikely that any team in the NFL goes through a whole year without sustaining at least one lost starter for the entirety of a season.
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Some positions are ready made to withstand such losses. This year the Chiefs appear set at the offensive line position. Now, the questions have to do with the defense. I’m not so sure any position group could withstand two losses, much less three. Let’s take a look.
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Defensive Line Replacements
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Our “Where’s Waldo” Dilemma
Don’t get me wrong, we have some very good players across the front four. I am not satisfied though and this combination of two position groups was greatly enhanced when Jarran Reed was signed. Adding Reed gives Spagnuolo and Heck flexibility. This allows for using Chris Jones outside. However, using him as a starter outside is, in my opinion, the wrong move.
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Besides thinking about the Jones hype at DE, I must consider a dependency upon Taco Charlton on the edge. I thought Veach made the right move to get Charlton aboard. However, using him has it’s own worries. He has not proved himself to his round-one draft status plus, there’s the question of durability. For the Chiefs, I see him as manning a DE role for passing downs. If Charlton were to finally prove out as a dependable 3-down starter it would be the best of circumstances. If they utilized Jones outside for 15% of the snaps, I would be satisfied with that utilization ,but what I don’t want to see the D lose is CJ’s length on the inside.
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I am far more satisfied in regard to the player mix for the Interior positions.
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Short-term: Because the players involved tally up enough talent to handle a mix-n’-match crew for any situation, and not 4 distinctly assigned starters, which is my preference, then the loss of any one player, for the short-term, is handled easily. Diagramed as simply as possible with Jones and Reed inside, Andy Heck has sufficient manpower to overcome that short-term situation.
Long Term: If Clark, Jones or Reed are removed from the front four for an extended period of time, or, heaven forbid, the Chiefs lost 2 of the 3, then the ability to pressure, sack or hit the opposing QB, deflect passes and force the opponents QB into hurries is going to greatly be diminished. Losing 3 players at any other position on the team wouldn’t have the same effect. So, I’d be far more comfortable in bringing in a savvy veteran and would applaud such a move with great fervor. I do think that Veach will be drafting to the edge again in 2022. -David
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Linebackers Replacements
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There’s a somewhat crazy idea afoot that says, Anthony Hitchens is in danger of being cut, this year. Patrik Walker at CBS Sports wrote a piece called, “List of NFL veterans from each team who should fear chopping block in 2021” in which he suggests Hitch should fear the cutting block by the end of training camp. This August or September. Here’s what he says of the Hitchens situation:
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“The Chiefs know the value of having Hitchens around, but they also diminished it by adding Nick Bolton in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The best plan would see Kansas City allow Bolton to learn under Hitchens this coming season, but with Hitchens approaching a contract year in 2022 and $6.44 million in cap savings to be had if he’s traded or released in 2021, the veteran might be in very real trouble if Bolton hits the ground running in camp and beyond.”
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One problem wit that scenario: what if Willie Gay or Nick Bolton can’t go? With Ben Niemann as the current option if one of the Chiefs top three LBs is injured, by removing Hitchens now, it leaves K.C. in a precarious situation. So, let’s get that out of the way first… I seriously doubt that someone who DC Steve Spagnuolo has been relying upon to be his field general is going to replace him with a rookie right out of the box… no matter how good I think Nick Bolton will be, or is.
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One major difference between Gay and Bolton is… the way their first offseason with the team played out. Gay had no in-person visits and had no playbook prior to Training Camp. Bolton not only already has the Defensive playbook this year, but he was physically in on each OTA event and the first mandatory offseason workouts. Plus, they play completely different positions… Gay plays outside, and although Bolton may start outside this year, he was the main man in the middle of the Missouri Defense — and the best LB in the SEC — for the past two seasons.
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Photo: Steve Sanders
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Short Term: If Ben Niemann gets replacement snaps is in a larger part of the rotation in the short term, the Chiefs should have trouble adjusting. Bring in Daniel Sorensen more, move Tyrann Mathieu up more, bring on the other two out of three, meaning: Hitchens, Gay or Bolton, which ever two are not injured.
Long Term: While Steve Spagnuolo would have to get more creative, or try out some of his other alternative LBs, like, Emmanuel Smith, Darrius Harris, or Omari Cobb, the team is more likey to have problems replacing which ever starter they lose. The Linebacking role is perhaps the most dependent upon instincts than any other defensive position. Some call it vision, but that really just means a LB must be able to diagnose a play left-or-right, running-or-passing, gap-or-wide, cover the RB-or-TE… and do it all in a split second. Which also means, a LB must be quick and twitchy… as well as a physical stud muffin who can take being pounded on by offensive linemen and fullbacks.
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So, in the case of the CHiefs starting LB, especially the middle linebacker, he must know Spags playbook inside and out and understand the schemes and concept and be able to put them into practice, in that split second time period. That doesn’t happen over night… and I’d be very surprised if it happens in Nick Bolton’s rookie season, if Hitchens were the one to go down, or be cut, as Patrik Walker was suggesting. While Smith, Harris, or Cobb could get some snaps in that event, it seems more likely that Spags just adjusts his scheme and moves defensive back-fielders up. Ben Niemann just certainly doesn’t seem like a great answer.
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Cornerback Replacements
When Veach chose not to retain Bashaud Breeland, I knew that the coaching staff feedback was framed from a confidence in the young players on the roster. It must be placing some high confidence in the existing players to cover all the bases. There is no other way to look at it and consider that Veach traded back into the draft in 2020 to get BoPete Keyes onboard. Other moves are also part of that picture, including the addition of having traded for Mike Hughes. In 2020, the Chiefs acquired Deandre Baker who looked to be a solid future starting quality addition adding to a mix of L’Jarius Sneed, Charvarius Ward, and Rashad Fenton. Baker suffered a broken leg in 2020 and is a wait-and-see situation. I also have a stinking suspicion that the Chiefs acquired a very good CB as a UDFA from Western Ky in signing Devon Key and possibly Dicaprio Bootle. They also added Will Parks who is versatile and can possibly move up from a safety role to add experience for the CB roles.
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Photo: Steve Sanders
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Short-Term – If the Chiefs suffered an injury to any of the 3 players mixed in as starters, I think they can depend on their depth to manage the loss of one of them for 3-4 weeks. I am confident about that. Rashad Fenton can play inside or outside and then depending on a young player to cover a gap, it’s probable that such a short-term loss would be handled efficiently. Keep in mind how the Chiefs have utilized Tyrann Mathieu in the CB role. The Chiefs could do this without an effect on the Safety position with the players they have plus they added Clark to that mix.
Long-Term: This is where things get rough. If the Chiefs lost one of their front 3 corners for an extended period of time, it would be far more difficult to manage. This is especially true if that player were Sneed(yes, I think he is the best CB on the roster). If they lost two players, such as Fenton and Sneed it would spell real trouble and it would be horrid if Sneed, Fenton, and Ward were all three lost due to an injury and was out for a long period. That said, dependency exists on Baker getting back to the roster and how well Hughes fits in plus we cannot know how quickly a young player such as Keyes or Key for example develops. In the background are players with Chiefs time who were on the PS and that could alleviate part of covering the position. -David
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Safety Replacements
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The Chiefs appear well endowed at Safety with the great Tyrann Mathieu and speedy third year man Juan Thornhill (4.42). Gm Brett Veach also signed Free Agent Safety, Will Parks, in May. Parks played for Denver for four years before signing with the Eagles last offseason then was Waived in December of last season before he Broncos once again claimed him off of waivers. So, after two stints with the Broncos he went shopping for a new team this offseason and found K.C..
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Short Term: If Mathieu goes down, the Chiefs would feel it, no matter who takes his place. He’s like the Patrick Mahomes of the defense. Really. He’s that valuable. My hope is that Brett Veach gets him re-signed to an extension before training camp. If Thornhill goes down, Armani Watts or Will Parks can step in. Same goes for Daniel Sorensen.
Long Term: The Safety position is deep with Mathieu, Thornhill, Sorensen, Parks, and Watts. When Juan Thornhill went down and out for the remainder of the 2019 season late in the year, the Chiefs went on to win the Super Bowl So, if it’s Thornhill who goes down, Safety will like get covered, even if it’s for an extended period. As with any other position, if two Safeties go down, the Chiefs would likely be in trouble, but if that did happen, I think they could still make Spag’s defense hum… it just might be a different melody.
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CB and LB appear to be the weakest links on the defensive side of the ball. At DE, the Frank Clark situation might take as long as two years before it comes to trial with the way most court systems are backed up from the pandemic. The NFL, and the Chiefs, won’t take any action about his status until after the courts have ruled so this year looks like the DE position is not in any kind of shortage danger. That is unless someone gets injured. Of course, none of us wants to see that happen, but if it does, the DL looks like it’s pretty deep and could handle it. -Laddie
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Defensively, for those wondering if the Chiefs have the CB position covered, I’m projecting that Veach will nab — by signing a cut player or trading for — a corner when all teams have to reduce their roster’s to the mandatory 53, what I call, Alchemy Day. On August 31st, four days after the 3rd and final preseason game all NFL teams must cut their roster’s down to 53 players, exactly 55 days from today. Look for Veach to make a move on an experienced CB then, or by then.
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Offensively, with Kyle Long already going down to injury along the OL this spring, the odds are that there may only be one or two other short term injuries along the OL this year. Here’s hoping that’s the case. It certainly seem unfathomable that three top level OL will go out this season, and hopefully that’s the case at every position this year. Injuries are something no on can predict so it’s a case of the, “who the H knows?” At least the Chiefs look like they’re deeper than ever at most OL positions, and there’s probably no one happier about that than Patrick Mahomes.
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David Bell and Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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