Multiple: Chiefs Free Agency
Forecasts Future
by Ransom Hawthorne | March 16, 2019
Kansas City – The loss of Justin Houston was expected, the cutting of Eric Berry was a surprise, the trading of Dee Ford was a shock. Everyone expected the Kansas City Chiefs to go hard after Safety Landon Collins, but, when he signed a huge deal in Washington, fans weren’t too upset that the Chiefs had passed. Then came the news, K.C. was signing Tyrann Mathieu to a huge contract, albeit it for just three years. What is going on? The Chiefs are demolishing their demoralizing defense and starting fresh. It’s not just about culture, though goodness knows Kansas City needed some tenacity from a defense that looked like union workers digging a trench (one guy working, three guys watching). Ultimately, as the Chiefs rebuild their defense, they have one primary focus: being multiple.
Tyrann Mathieu: Per Nate Taylor of the Athletic, Mathieu was Chiefs #1 target in free agency. He was valued, over Landon Collins, due to his versatility. Mathieu has played FS, SS, Nickel CB, Nickel LB and a bevy of other spots, around the defense. He plays with attitude, instincts and speed. The need for such defenders, is something the Chiefs are very familiar with because, well, they helped create it. Athletic TEs, receiving RBs, and WRs who line up in more than one spot… can be matchup nightmares, for DCs. If the QB can identify the coverage, pre-snap, it only makes matters worse. Enter Mathieu: he’s fast enough to play FS, but strong enough to drop into the box. His hips are fluid enough to cover WRs, but his instincts allow him to make plays, in coverage, against TEs. Mathieu’s ability to match up against a variety of targets, allows him to stay on the field, but, more importantly, it lets the Chiefs disguise their looks. Cover 1, with Mathieu in the box, and Lucas deep, can be motioned into cover 2, and vice versa. Lines between the Nickel, Dime and base, can be blurred, if Chiefs play him at LB. The bottom line is, since Tyrann Mathieu can do just about anything well on defense, it’s tough for opposing QBs to know just what he is going to do on any given play. Against modern NFL offenses, that’s a recipe for success.
Damien Wilson: Wilson will be the Chiefs starting SAM linebacker. He’s not a high dollar acquisition, but he’s a solid run defender and a good blitzer. He’s also a guy who’s learned to play all three LB spots, although you don’t really want him as a weakside guy. Wilson’s versatility can allow Chiefs to disguise their looks, though not to the degree that Mathieu does. Suppose Kansas City trots out Anthony Hitchens, Wilson, and Dorian O’Daniel. That their base defense every time right? Wrong. Hitchens can play the WILL, with Wilson motioning back to the Mike position. O’Daniel becomes the SS, and Mathieu is the Nickel CB. If you’re the opposing Offensive Coordinator and you dialed up a play to attack a 4-3 front… you’re now throwing into a 4-2 with an extra coverage guy. It’ll be a lot harder to find an opening. Another example of Kansas City going multiple this offseason, and for good reason.
Alex Okafor: The signing of Okafor begins to answer the question of why Chiefs decided to move on from Dee Ford. Ford, while an excellent pass rusher, is average, at best, against the run. At around 250lbs, he just doesn’t have the size to hold up as a strongside DE. That’s fine, just play him on the weakside right? Except there’s nothing to stop the offense from motioning the TE over, after the defense is set, switching the weakside and strong side. Ford has also shown himself to be substantially better on the left side, than the right. Again, teams will just line up their TE on the right side of the formation, and Ford can’t handle a double team block. Okafor is an elite run defender. He can set the edge, on the strong side, but offers enough, as a pass rusher, to play the weak side. While he’s nowhere near the pass rusher Ford is, he also doesn’t have a glaring weakness. Being multiple requires well rounded players. Players, like Okafor, might not be as highly sought after, but they’re also a lot harder to exploit with creative formations and motions, than guys like Ford. Ford, at his best, is better, but he’s also a lot easier to game-plan around than a guy like Alex Okafor. It doesn’t hurt that he’ll be making about $9M a year less than Dee Ford either.
At the end of the day, the Chiefs defense has to beat the Patriots. They’ve taken the necessary steps to do that by prioritizing good run defenders in the box, and a versatile DB in the secondary. Stuffing the run and disguising coverages is the best shot this team has of ending New England’s reign of terror. Perhaps, with all the moves they made, you’re more concerned with the Browns. Spagnuolo’s strategy works just fine there as well. Mayfield is a good QB, but he’s young. Give him some confusing looks, pre-snap, and he’ll cough up the ball a time or two. For a Chiefs offense that should continue to be best in the league, that’s all they need to get the win. I can’t wait for the season to start and watch this new defense in action. I think it’s going to be a blast. Go Chiefs.
Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne
If you are viewing this in Apple News and would like to join the Discussion, [GO HERE.](http://arrowheadone.com/multiple-chiefs-free-agency-forecasts-future/#disqus_thread)