Thank Heavens for the Signing of Carlos Dunlap!
You may not see this as an amusing point. Still, it is a reason for writing about the Dunlap signing, and I won’t have to mention Orlando Brown, Jr.’s boycott of the team by holding out–another idiotic decision by Brown and Portner. The Chiefs offered him a very lucrative contract which Brown and his agent felt was not polished enough.
There! You have my single mention of Brown for Today’s article.
As you probably recall, I called for Brett Veach to re-sign Mel Ingram all off-season. It didn’t happen. Ingram signed with the Dolphins. I have always respected Melvin Ingram, and his addition to the defense in 2021 was a spark for the season’s finish as the defense played well down the stretch and into the playoffs. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to pry another Super Bowl appearance out of the 2021 team. The two losses to the Bengals hurt.
The 2021 season was a “Close, but no Cigar” result. My point about Ingram’s addition to the defense shows in games. After the horrendous loss to the Titans 3-27, Ingram was inserted for more pass-rush snaps into the defense quotient, and the Chief ran off 7 of 8 wins in a winning streak in which the defense held opponents to 17 points or less in each of those games, the only anomaly was the shootout with the Chargers which the Chiefs won 34-28. On January 2nd, they faced the Bengals and failed to win a game they should have won, losing 31-34.
Then the final loss of 2021 was played on January 30th, in which they fell to the Bengals again: 24-27, another game they “should” have won. Extended into an overtime session, the Bengals won on a field goal, and Mahomes didn’t have a shot at a comeback due to NFL Rules. The previous week, the Chiefs won another OT shootout game, a miracle win with the famed “13-seconds” rally versus the Bills. In this case, the Chiefs won the game, having won the toss. Josh Allen was left in the dark, not having a chance to come back. This game was one of the greatest in the history of the NFL. Indeed a great game by both teams, and the QBs played magnificently.
Overall, the 8-game streak mentioned above demonstrated the importance of Mel Ingram to the defense, which played exceptionally well during that stretch. Ingram’s contribution to the DL effort in 2021 was a clear indication for me to lobby as much as my meager effort was possible this past off-season, to re-sign Mel Ingram.
It turned out the Chiefs opted for Carlos Dunlap.
Enter Carlos Dunlap
Carlos Dunlap wasn’t my choice for the Chiefs to make a move to get a Defense End. However, I know how DC Steve Spagnuolo views the role and the player profile Spags desires. Dunlap’s physical makeup and stature fit what DC Steve Spagnuolo wants as a DE, whereas Ingram was more of a juke and scoot player. What Dunlap offers is a more powerful version of a DE. Indeed, he is now a 33-year-old player, so the question is: How much does Dunlap have left in the tank? The contract he signed is a one-year deal for a possible (estimate a $4-4.5M base} $8M if he reaches the incentives in the contract. I don’t know the details of the base salary, signing bonus, and what those incentives are. Anticipate more information about that to be forthcoming soon.
Spags View of Adding Dunlap? He stated in the presser on Friday:
“I’m always happy to add big, long guys that have experience and have played in the league. But I’ll be honest with you, I do know something about the player just from afar, but until we get him in here and can find out where we can use him best. And that’s what I told him when I talked to him last night.” Spags then deferred to Andy Reid and the HC’s view.
Dunlap’s contribution as a pass-rusher to Seattle’s defense was apparent from his 2021 statistics. We know that also in Run-defense, he had no missed tackles in 129 run play snaps he recorded for the season. Dunlap recorded 482 defensive snaps for the Seahawks. He is an imposing figure standing 6’6″- 285 pounds of force that can be aligned against the offense. Used situationally for most passing downs, his stats for 2021 were: 17 games, 8.5 Sacks, 35 Tackles, 24 Solo (in 129 run game snaps), 7 batted passes, and 1 FF.
I suspect that Dunlap’s usage in the Chief’s defense will be similar to what the Seahawks did. At the same time, he is not a slouch at playing run defense either. Dunlap only played on 38% of the Seahawks Defensive Snaps, yet he had 8.5 Sacks and 7 batted passes. Those numbers identify 16 plays that were stops of the opposing team’s offense in 2021! I am looking forward to having Carlos Dunlap playing on Joe Cullen’s defensive front four.
Do I Believe Dunlap is the Salvation of the Defense?
My answer: not exactly. Adding Dunlap to the defensive front is a valuable accomplishment. I believe Dunlap brings the Chiefs a considerable improvement for the DE Group and the DL overall. He brings experience and dependable play to get pressure on the opposing QB in the pass-rush effort, including sacks. The pressure factor was what was missing from the Chiefs in its overall effect in 2021.
In addition, Dunlap brings considerable NFL Experience to the group — a good player for sure. Pass-rush effectiveness was sorely lacking for the Chiefs in 2021. He joins a team, and as Seth Keysor observed in analyzing six games from 2021, he raises the Floor for the Defensive line. I support the signing entirely — he is a much-needed addition to the defensive line. He is dependable, consistent, and provides a massive force opposite Frank Clark (or George Karlaftis). I see that the Chiefs now have an improved Defensive Line, with Clark, Karlaftis, Mike Danna, and Dunlap able to apply their talents against the opposing offense.
It is not yet a proven group: Clark’s last two seasons with the Chiefs have been far less than stellar. Karlaftis is unproven, and Danna has not been a pass-rush force for the defense. However, Dunlap brings the proof of prior seasons to the DE group. If what Dunlap brings to the table is a dependable level of force to the pass rush, the defense will indeed be an improved group, and that is how Steve Spagnuolo referred to the addition of Dunlap. We are adding a long, tall, experienced DE to the group. Ryan Tracy had the same take that I did: the Chiefs have added a much-needed player to the DE Group. On day one, Tracy observed at the beginning of Training Camp that Frank Clark couldn’t get on the field (illness). Clark has been a question mark for two seasons, so this is a concern. Ryan also observed that now Cullen would have a 3-man rotation for the edge play, observing that Clark and Dunlap would aid in the development of George Karlaftis.
What does HC Andy Reid think about the Dunlap Signing?
Andy Reid illuminated reporters on Friday during his part of the Chiefs presser:
“He’s very smart…He’s been around. Obviously, he’s seen a lot. He kind of knows what he’s looking for — he visited a couple of teams. He liked what he saw, and we liked what we saw, so we signed him up. “His role will be — he’ll work into the mix at the defensive end position…It’s a nice addition. Obviously, he’s been doing this for a while, and he can still roll. We look forward to getting him into the mix there and getting him going.”
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Andy noted, Dunlap would not be available until Aug 3rd as he has some pressing personal matters to clean up. Reid believes Dunlap to be a good fit for the Chiefs players already on the roster and Chris Jones shared that he and Dunlap did off-season training in Florida together, also stating that his NFL time provides experience that the defensive line was generally lacking. I heartily agree with that assessment. Reid finished by saying:
“Now, he and Chris work out together at the same place, so they know each other. So there will be a familiar face when he comes in, at least. He brings some senior leadership in there and experience.”
I find Andy’s view of Dunlap to be the freshener that the DL needed. If that doesn’t whet your appetite, you will have to wait and see.
So to add emphasis, Chris Jones remarked about the addition of Carlos Dunlap:
“I mean, Carlos Dunlap, his resume speaks for itself… I think he had 7-8 sacks last year for Seattle (Dunlap actually had 8.5 sacks in 2021). You know, he’s a high-character guy. I trained with him this offseason in Miami. If we’re able to add him and the report is true, we’ll accept Carlos with open arms. He’s a veteran guy who has had a lot of experience in this league. To have a veteran guy like that in this position group, I think it would be remarkable.”
Dunlap is entering his 14th year in the NFL (2 seasons with the Seahawks after 11 seasons with the Bengals). His experience will lend itself to aiding the newcomers while providing a base for the pass-rush that has the potential to far exceed the numbers of the 2021 team. I am confident that DL Coach Joe Cullen and DC Steve Spagnuolo see Carlos Dunlap as a very advantageous addition to the defensive front.
As the fourth man in the rotation, Mike Danna brings solid run defense for first and second downs. DC Spags will, in all likelihood, use Dunlap, Clark, Jones, and Karlaftis for pass rush effectiveness.
In the final analysis, we know there is far more work to be done for the Defensive Line, and that needs to be done in the future via the draft, where possible. Keep in mind Clark’s contract year is 2023, and they signed Dunlap for only the 2022 season. But that’s out in the future. My only roster question remains just this: is there a Pass-Rush DT that we can bring aboard for this year?
For 2022, we should be excited that Carlos Dunlap has joined the Chiefs. The Chiefs will improving in their ability to get after the Quarterback is crucially essential for 2022 with new players and rookies in the secondary. Dunlap boosts that effort.
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David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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