Puzzle Pieces: Assessing the UDFAs Fit in the Chiefs Defense – The Kansas City Chiefs Defense finished strong, in 2019. Entering their second year in coach Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme, expectations are high. The fact remains, however, that most offseason losses have come on the defensive side of the ball. Reggie Ragland and Kendall Fuller both carved out significant roles, last year and now they’re gone. Bashaud Breeland and Mike Pennel proved to be critical veteran additions and although their return for 2020 is assured, it will be delayed by suspensions, for both players. While these losses hurt in the short term, they could potentially open the door to some of the Chiefs Undrafted Free Agents. Here’s a look at how this year’s defensive crop of rookie UDFAs could fit with the team.
Athletic Profiles (3)
DE Tim Ward was signed in 2019, but injury prevented him from practicing, last year. Chiefs were willing to keep him around because he’s an excellent athletic match, for Spags scheme. Ward is tall and fast, with long arms. Fellow “Redshirt” defender, LB Darius Harris, is a similarly good athletic fit. His top end speed might not be what fans would prefer, but he’s smart, plays hard and has good explosiveness and size. One of his best traits is his length. Despite being just 6’2”, his arms are 3/8” longer than Travis Kelce’s.
LB Omari Cobb, Marshall, is a decent athletic fit, for Spag’s defense. He has great length, adequate speed, and excellent explosion. Tipping the scales at just 229 lbs., he just doesn’t have the complete size Spagnuolo looks for, in a Linebacker. Perhaps Chiefs think he can pack on some pounds, on the practice squad, without losing too much of his athleticism. Another size-limited prospect, Tershawn Wharton is a dynamic athlete who is explosive and fast, for his size. Wharton has much shorter arms than Spags prefers, in Defensive Ends, and he’s much lighter than the average Defensive Tackle.
CBs Lavert Hill and Rodney Clemons were both productive college players whose football IQ convinced the Chiefs to give them a shot. Neither is a good athletic fit, for the scheme. Hill is short, slow and light. Clemons has nice size and length, but is painfully slow and only average, in his explosion, a trait which Chiefs seem to have valued a lot, in their safeties.
Team Needs
Unlike the offense, the Chiefs have multiple needs, on defense. This could open the door to UDFAs, looking to make the 53-man roster. Lavert Hill fills a definite need for the Chiefs. While Bashaud Breeland is suspended, Steve Spagnuolo has indicated that K.C. may use a couple of players to fill in for him. One of those players is likely to be Rashad Fenton, leaving Chiefs with only Tyrann Mathieu as a true slot CB. Hill has some versatility and could fill in at the slot spot, or play as a two-deep Safety.
The Chiefs have a number of players who fill moderate needs, on defense. Darius Harris and Omari Cobb offer depth in a thin Linebacker core. Rodney Clemmons can fill in as a Strong Safety, or Nickel Linebacker, like Daniel Sorenson.
While the Chiefs prioritize the Defensive End position, they have a ton of options there. If Tim Ward is to make the roster, it won’t be for lack of competition. He’ll have to make the most of his ideal scheme fit, while also demonstrating that he’s ready to play. Wharton has an uphill battle, as he’s best suited to play DE, but may be less polished there, than Ward.
Game Readiness
Lavert Hill is the Chiefs only truly game-ready UDFA. He was highly productive, in his time at Michigan and demonstrated quality instincts. An injury, suffered in Training Camp, may be holding him back from fully grasping the scheme, but I’m confident that he’ll have it down by week one. With Spags having a myriad of option in the DB room, he’s still not guaranteed a roster spot.
Darius Harris and Rodney Clemons are both close to being game-ready. For Harris, it’s a matter of sharpening his instincts, fully grasping the playbook and demonstrating the ability to stack and shed at the NFL level. Clemmons has pretty good instincts, but his lack of functional athleticism means that he needs to have near flawless reads. He just doesn’t have the speed to recover from a moment’s hesitation.
The rest of Kansas City’s UDFAs are developmental projects. Omari Cobb isn’t physically read to play in Spags scheme. Tershawn Wharton comes from a small school and needs to refine his technique. It’s tough to know where Tim Ward is at, without access to training camp, but he was pretty raw coming out of college, and it’s hard to believe that’s changed after a year on Injured Reserve.
Special Teams
Bottom of the roster players play Special teams. Readiness in that area can be one of the biggest keys to making the final roster. Darius Harris is an excellent fit, with the size and speed to thrive. Lavert Hill has a lot of experience playing Special Teams, so he’s a quality fit there, despite average athleticism.
Omari Cobb isn’t quite the athlete Harris is. He can probably do an adequate job, on Special Teams, but don’t expect him to be an impact player, early on.
Rodney Clemons is just too slow to be a good option on special teams, though he has the necessary temperament. Tim Ward could certainly play a role as a rusher on field goal attempts, but that role is fairly easy to fill and generally not very impactful. Tershawn Wharton would fill a similar role, but his lack of length makes him less likely to be successful.
Due to need, and game readiness, Lavert Hill probably has the best change to make the roster for the Chiefs. Players like Darius Harris and Tim Ward have a good chance to continue developing, on the practice squad. Rodney Clemons is a great player to have in training camp, and could be a valuable member of the scout team, but I’m not sure you ever expect him to make the main roster. Omari Cobb and Tershawn Wharton will have to hope they’ve made enough of an impression to stick around while they develop. With the regular season just around the corner, it won’t be too long till we find out who makes the roster.
Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne
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