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An Overview of the Kansas City Chiefs Defense
The Chiefs have appeared in five Super Bowls over the last six years, winning three of them. When they won it all after the 2019 season, Kansas City rode a high-powered offense and a solid defense to the Championship. After that season, the team evolved and eventually became the Chiefs that won the big game after the 2023 campaign with a middle-of-the-road offense and a tough, stingy, opportunistic defense. The 2024 season may have seen things start to swing back the other way. The emphasis over the last couple of off-seasons has been on adding offensive weapons, while last year's defense fell back to the pack.
The 2024 Chiefs were not a bad defense; they were simply not as good as the unit that brought home the gold in the previous season. This unit was 8th against the run and 18th versus the pass. Their 20 takeaways were mediocre, the sack total slid from 57 in 2023 to 39, and Kansas City ranked 15th in points. The decline was not enough to trigger a major focus on defense over the offseason, but the organization did make some investments.
Free agency brought no superstars, but veterans Christian Fulton at corner and tackle Jerry Tillery could be in the starting lineup when week one gets here. The Chiefs turned to the draft for tackle Omarr Norman-Lott in round two, edge Ashton Gillotte and corner Nohl Williams in the third, and linebacker Jeffrey Bassa in round five. The first three should find there way onto the field in some manner, but none of them are likely to be starters right away.
All things considered, the 2025 Chiefs should be an above-average defense. The offense will have to pull its weight if they are to make it back to the big game.
Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Line
Of the team's 57 sacks in 2023, 39.5 were recorded by the defensive line. Four players contributed at least six and a half with tackle Chris Jones and edge George Karlaftis each reaching double digits at ten and a half. Karlaftis led the team with 7.5 last year, with Jones adding 5.5 and no one else contributing more than 3.5.
The Chiefs have good players along the defensive front. They even have good depth. What they are lacking is that one special player that offenses have to game plan for. They picked Karlaftis in the first round in 2022, thinking he would be that guy. He's been a good one, totaling 24 sacks over three seasons, but the organization is still waiting for him to blossom into an elite pass rusher. Karlaftis just turned 24 in April so there is still time for that to happen.
One thing that hurt the Chiefs, and Karlaftis in particular in 2024 was the absence of Charles Omenihu. The starting job opposite Karlaftis belongs to Mike Danna, but it is Omenihu who keeps offenses honest on passing downs. Despite missing the first six games of 2023 due to suspension, he finished third on the team with seven sacks on 407 snaps. Omenihu tore his ACL in the AFC Championship Game in January, causing him to miss the first eleven games last year. He is healthy and ready to go for 2025.
Mike Danna holds the title of starter opposite Karlaftis. He is a solid player who holds up well versus the run and will contribute as a pass rusher. He had a decent 2023, coming out of the gate strong with five and a half sacks in the first eight games. Then he faded, finishing the year at 32-18-6. Danna started strong again last year with 12 tackles and half a sack in the first three games, then a calf injury, followed by a strained or partially torn pectoral, caused him to miss a few games. He was by for week ten but had just two productive games the rest of the way.
The Chiefs invested another first-round pick on the edge in 2023, selecting Felix Anudike-Uzomah at the end of the first round. If his first two years are an indicator, the team might have missed on this one. His two-year totals are 24-17-2 with 2 forced fumbles and a recovery. For the sake of seeing the glass half full, Anudike-Uzomah was 16-11-2 with two of those turnovers coming last year. The other reason for the organization to have optimism and patience is that he is just 23 years old.
Chris Jones leads the way at the interior positions. He is one of the game's elite interior pass rushers with 80.5 sacks, 18 turnovers, and 37 batted passes over his nine seasons. Jones can be a difference maker for both his team and ours, but he is wildly inconsistent from week to week, putting up big numbers and then vanishing for long stretches.
Tershawn Wharton, Mike Pennel, and Derrick Nnadi made up the rest of the tackle rotation last year, with Wharton's career-best 6.5 sacks earning him a nice payday in free agency. Nnadi also walked, leaving a hole that will be filled by veteran Jerry Tillery and second-round pick Omarr Norman-Lott. Pennel with battle the newcomers for the starting job while all three are likely to see a fair amount of playing time.
One thing everyone on the defensive line has in common is an uphill battle to post useful fantasy numbers with any semblance of consistency. We can't blame it on snap counts because Karlaftis, Jones, and even Danna get enough snaps to be a factor. Yet for some reason, none of the Chiefs' linemen make enough tackles to be relevant as more than a bye-week flier. The one thing we can point to is a stingy stat crew in Arrowhead Stadium.
Chiefs players are always on the low end in assists. In 2024, only two teams were awarded fewer. Danna led the team with 20 solos and 21 assists last year, and in 2023 with 33-17. The last Kansas City lineman with more than 35 solo stops or 50 combined in a season was Tamba Hali in 2014. The last Chiefs lineman to finish in the top-20 at either position was Jones when he was 30-14-15 in 2022.
- Edge George Karlaftis – Bye week depth
- Edge Mike Danna – Depth at best
- Edge Felix Anudike-Uzomah – Worth keeping an eye on
- Edge Charles Omenihu – Injury sleeper at best
- Edge Ashton Gillotte – Potential dynasty prospect
- DT Chris Jones – Inconsistent depth with big game potential
- DT Jerry Tillery – No impact
- DT Mike Pennel – No impact
- DT Omarr Norman-Lott – Dynasty watchlist
- DT Marlon Tuipulotu – No impact
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