Chiefs Defensive Needs and Outlook

Chiefs Defensive Needs and Outlook – The previous article took a look at the 40 players on contract and that gives us reason to look from different angles. This view will take into account who I think is going to be a key piece of the 2021 Roster & More. I will forecast who will be released or who will retire. Keep in my that this is merely conjecture of course.

Cornerbacks

Bashaud Breeland – I wrote briefly about the situation with Bashaud Breeland who will again be a free agent. He is a strong cog in the gearing for the secondary. Before the 2020 season he was looking for a big contract offer from another team and it didn’t arrive – or at least what he was offered meant he would accept the Chiefs contract. I don’t know if that was true because Breeland took the contract offer to play again for the Chiefs. With the cap situation being set at about #176M, Breeland may be faced with the same dilemma except this coming spring he will have two Super Bowl appearances under his belt. What will happen, I cannot predict except to say that it will be a tough year to garner a free agent contract for any player who is seeking more money and new digs. Of course it’s possible that Breeland wants an opportunity to play for Andy Reid’s Chiefs again and wants a shot at a third Superbowl.

2021 Outlook: Bashaud Gets a New Contract

Charvarius Ward – There is much discussion about Ward’s performance in 2020. I will posit my remarks as follows: Restricted Free agent (any team that drops in to take him will give up a draft pick). Ward’s broken Hand affected his play for several games upon his return to active status. Playing in a cast is troublesome for any player that needs to be able to handle the ball or even deflect it. I am certain that the hand was tender when the cast was removed and he protected it as much as possible which also affected his play.

Ward is a key fixture for the Chiefs – You may not like it but he at least is a piece of the CB crew on the outside and he is not specifically targeted as the weak link – because he isn’t. In this year of a depressed team Salary cap, Ward will ply his trade on the outside again unless Baker arrives with a flourish. But that would first result in Breeland not being retained at least in my mind. Fun stuff is coming in 2021.

2021 Outlook: Ward is retained with a small contract upgrade

Rashad Fenton – Fenton has played strongly in the past 2 seasons but is the least capable member of the Chiefs secondary rotation, mostly playing the inside role. I see no problem in retaining Fenton who was a late round draft pick who played above his ratings.

2021 Outlook: On Contract and Retained

And now Ladies and Gentlemen, my two favorite players I wish to cover: L’Jarius Sneed and BoPete Keyes.

L’Jarius Sneed – Sneed had a tough break so to speak, in his 3rd appearance when he fractured the clavicle on an attempted interception. He missed several weeks of play. Otherwise, Sneed was an outstanding defender for the Chiefs and despite missing games, he made the NFL All Rookie Team. Sneed has the read and the speed to be someone who feasts with greed!!!! They won’t have to make that sort of choice. Ward is a restricted free agent and so will be extremely cheap (barring a team swooping in and choosing to give the Chiefs draft pick compensation). So it’ll either be a “they can afford Breeland or they can’t” situation, which will depend entirely on his market outside of KC rather than their own cap situation.

2021 Status: Under new Contract

BoPete Keyes – Keyes returns for the second season on his rookie contract. We saw little of him in 2020: 3 snaps in Week 8 and 67 snaps in Week 17. However, I expect there is more to that story than we know.

2021 Outlook: Returns on his rookie contract, second year

Deandre Baker was a midseason pickup and was being groomed to receive more playing time when he was hurt. I expect him back in 2021 with a significant increase in usage.

2021 Outlook – Baker gets a contract, he fits in during the season as a starter.

Cornerback Group Evaluation: Very Strong

As a group, the cornerbacks are well above average, with possible greatness ahead in 2021. This is the strange part of things as I saw extremely good play-making talent for the short look we had of Deandre Baker. Then he suffered a broken Femur. This may end up not being a problem, but it adds notes to both Ward and Breeland as well. Ward is not under contract, but he is an exclusive rights player for the Chiefs, meaning, he can accept offers from other teams or he could decide to stay with KC.

Adding Baker is going to set the table for Spagnuolo’s pass defense –presuming he lives up to what I see as a major talent. The Chiefs have the right coaches in place to aid the players: Sam Madison and Dave Merritt. Rashad Fenton is the weakest link among the Cornerback Crew. Ward and Breeland do not have 2021 contracts. I can see biding time to make decisions to retain Breeland after we see how well Baker is recovered in Spring Training.

On the other hand, the Chiefs have others whom they think highly of from the 2020 Practice Squad such as:

Alex Brown – highly regarded, but ended up on the IR in 2020.

2021 Status: Unknown

Chris Lammons – He was on the PS, called up and sent down, released, and resigned. He got 38 snaps in Week 7.

2021 Status: Unknown

If Deandre Baker is a go, then the decision to keep Ward is a lot easier than figuring out if he or Breeland will be cheaper.

Linebackers

Anthony Hitchens – Inside SILB. I was quite disappointed in 2019 with Hitchen’s play. I must include the first 4 or 6 games of 2020 in that assessment as well. After that, something changed and Hitchens suddenly became a playmaker during the last half of the 2020 season. He made a big difference in the playoff game against the Bills.

2021 Status: Remains Under Contract

.Willie Gay, Jr. – W/S ILB – Willie Gay came to the Chiefs with a lack of playing time in his last collegiate year. He was drafted as the Chiefs 2nd round pick last year, has needed time to adjust, has been patient and informative when interviewed. As the season progressed he was given more and more snaps and was on the field whenever the Chiefs used the standard 43 defense. That was troubling for me because he was the best cover LB on the Chiefs Roster. Gay has the speed to play the game laterally, something that has been missing since DJ’s last good season (prior to his two achilles injuries). In 2021, Gay will become the standard starter on the outside. He will demonstrate his pass coverage ability either in drop zone or picking up man coverage for TEs, or RBs out of the backfield. Before the Bills game, he had demonstrated what he brings to the LB Group. — Gay returns in 2021 to fulfill his promise.

2021 Status: Under Rookie Contract

Darius Harris – Harris is a bigger body LB at 6-foot-2, 238, someone who saw a bit of playing time in 2020, in his second season with the Chiefs. I watched him in 2019 preseason games closely and liked what I saw. Because of that, I think he will make the roster in 2021.

2021 Status: Questionable

Dorian O’Daniel – I don’t know what to make of the fact that he has had no real game time appearances except on Special Teams. Ryan Tracy of RGR put together a short game review of DO’D in play. He looked very good in that short film review. The key things about O’Daniel are his ability to cover the aerial game and his speed. He has the speed to play the game side-line-to-side-line. However, he is small for an NFL linebacker. He is valuable on Special teams. He is in his third season of a rookie contract

2021 Status: Under Contract.

Omari Cobb – Cobb was a PS roster member for 2020. I hope to see the Marshall product turn a corner. I did some research on him for the 2020 draft and I like the player. He could find a home in KC and he will get a shot to earn a roster position in 2021. In the Spring while looking at his tape, I thought Cobb could make a roster as a WILB. We’ll have to wait and see what he brings to the table in camp this coming year.

2021 Status: Unknown

The Linebacker Crew: Average to above Average

Of course, I expect Veach to look for another LB steal in the draft. The Chiefs have the opportunity to add to the talent in the draft so, my view is that the Chiefs should add another outside LB who has speed for pursuit and covers receivers in zone coverage as well. It is difficult to tell about how much Darius Harris can be improved. I certainly think he could, and probably does, have more skill than Damian Wilson. If we had a player such as Chazz Surratt out of NC, would that fill the bill? Again, that is just one player that I have been thinking about. Imagine Hitchens with run stopping duty and having two outside players — Weak and Strong sides — who can play sideline-to-sideline.

Safeties

Tyrann Mathieu – how many superlatives can we heap on Mathieu? Far too few I imagine. For the back end of the Defense, Tyrann does it all. He is team leader, cheerleader, Strong or Single-High, Robber, Spy. We need to extend his contract and this is a tough year to get that done.

2021 Outlook: Commander and Landlord, managing the vassals and opposing the knights of the foreign realm!

Juan Thornhill – The deal closer, “The Juan and Only.” Thornhill had a rough time returning to active duty, but… against the Bills he returned to form in a big way. His reads and closings are tops in the NFL, even if the pundits don’t see it. Thornhill was the Chiefs 2nd pick of 2018 and will be back for his 3rd season. He would be a RFA in 2025 and UFA in 2026. You have to love the mysterious way he get’s reads done and closes on the ball. Gotta love Juan Thornhill.

2021 Outlook: Still on his Rookie Deal, Thornhill is “The Man in the High Castle”!

Armani Watts – I was pleased with Watts play in 2019 and then he was injured at the end of that year. He makes a good 4th Safety in a 4-man group.

2021 Status: Watts is Under Contract for 2021

Daniel Sorensen – Daniel Sorensen is one of the intelligent defenders at the back end and has added value of being able to play up in the box or even fill a hybrid LB role. I was one of those who felt he could be released last year to save money for the cap. Now I second guess myself. I love Sorensen’s ability to read plays and his intensity.

2021 Status: Questionable, Not Under Contract

The Safety Crew: Very, Very Good

It’s going to be difficult to improve this group. It will really depend on whether they bring back Daniel Sorensen and whether Amani Watts has progressed as the 3rd Safety. Sorensen’s willingness to stop the run, play up in the box, or even as a “fast LB” would be a sorely missed member of the arsenal.

Defensive Ends

After Frank Clark, Alex Okafor and Mike Danna, the Chiefs will have to make a decision to bring back either Taco Charlton or Tanoh Kpassagnon. The Chiefs pass rush did not meet expectations, so they’ll need a DE in their top 3 draft picks, and expect that to happen. For whatever unknown reason, neither Frank Clark nor Alex Okafor lived up to contributions from 2019. The Chiefs need to help Clark by adding a force on the opposite side of Clark. Here, I am not just talking about containment over pass rush. Whatever happens for the future, Veach will need to get prepared for it. Clark is a high cost player that will need to be replaced and since the Chiefs current DE #2 is not a sure bet, look for a high draft pick each of the next two seasons. I have been delving into potential picks after round one. I will be interested to see how the KC Scouts feed Brett Veach in regard to who fits the bill and in what draft position.

Frank Clark – Clark did not have a good year and though the game against the Bills was very good, it wasn’t up to Frank’s Snuff.

2021 Status: Clark is Under a “BIG” Contract

Alex Okafor – Since arriving Okafor has been hit or miss.

2021 Status: Alex is Under Contract

Mike Danna – Danna has been a role playing DE.

2021 Status: Still on a Rookie Deal and Returns for 3 More Years

Tim Ward – In 2020, we finally got a look at what Ward could do at the NFL level of play and I was not disappointed. I expect his return in 2021 and likely to replace one of the next two players on the list.

2021 Status: Gets a contract, was a UDFA in 2020.

Taco Charlton – I expected more of Charlton than we saw due to injury. Talent wise he is above Kpass.

2021 Status: Was ona 1-year Deal and is Questionable

Tanoh Kpassagnon – Kpass has not lived up to expectations.

2021 Status: Ended a 4-year Rookie Deal and is Questionable

Defense Line Interior

In 2020, I really expected to have closure on bringing players back/in who would be much tougher against the run, with a better interior pass rush to boot. Those expectations were not met, but I still think we have the right player mix.

[Author’s Note: I missed the fact that Tershawn Wharton was under contract for 2021 previously.]

Chris Jones – Chris Jones is a playmaker. Period.

2021 Status: Under a Big Contract

Derrick Nnadi – Derrick will returns for his 4th year in 2021 under his rookie deal.

2021 Status: Under his Rookie Contract

Khalen Saunders – Returns for as a solid rotational player on the interior.

2021 Status: Still Under his Rookie Contract

Tershawn Wharton – I admire Wharton who came from a small school environment at MO. S&T. His workouts were impressive. He made an impact on a roster no one saw him as being part of prior to 2020.

2021 Status: Under a Rookie Contract Through 2022

Mike Pennel – I really support Pennel. He was integral in 2019 against the run. his performance appeared lacking in 2020 but he was coming off his 2021 injury.

2021 Status: Questionable

The Defensive Line Crew: Average to Above Average

I am never satisfied, but the above players who will return, or are under contract, need to have an addition and I see this as adding by drafting a Defensive End.

Defensive Needs and Outlook: Conclusion

That covers my look at the Defensive Players from the 2020 Season. There questions about players of course, and unknowns. Every year there are players in the midst of their own ups and downs. I think the game against the Bills was very strong. I have posited the draft and had DE and LB among the first 3 positions of need. I still feel that way, but covered in the 3rd article in this series is the Offense. Once I have that looksee, it may cause me to adjust my original position as to the order of draft needs. I personally believe that the Chiefs must identify at least two draft picks for the Offensive Front Five. We will be waiting to see if perhaps Brett Veach and the coaching staff can again pull three rabbits out of the hat. Hokey Smokes!

Brett Veach as Bullwinkle: Pulling a Bear out of the hat for the Chiefs Defense!

David Bell – ArrowheadOne

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