Is the Chiefs' roster better than 2024, Part 2: Defense
Examining changes to Kansas City's defensive roster this year... Was a step forward taken?
In the NFL, a roster is never really “set,” especially for a Super Bowl contender… but by the time we hit mid-to-late May, you generally have an idea as to what a roster is going to look like for the most part (absent a few moves before or during the season). And now that we’ve reviewed the film of every single draft pick (you can find links to them all here, in the Jeffrey Bassa film review, and I promise I’ll get to a couple of the undrafted guys!), we have the time to have a real discussion as to how the Chiefs roster stacks up compared to last season.
In each position group, I’ll list out the contributors from last season (looking at guys who actually played somewhat) and the anticipated contributors this season, then decide whether the Chiefs are better, worse, or similar. In Part 1, we looked at the offense and found a few things I thought were interesting. Today, we’ll talk defense. It’s worth noting that while we can just go by snap count as to who contributors were last year, figuring out who will be contributors in 2025 requires a LITTLE guesswork, especially with rookies.
The defense on any NFL team is almost always going to be the second-most-talked-about side of the ball. That’s the nature of the modern NFL, where offense (and the passing game) generally rule the day. This is especially true in Kansas City, where the existence of Patrick Mahomes is always going to be the lead story.
However, it’s worth noting that the defensive side of the ball has been nearly as important to the Chiefs’ dynasty as the offensive side of the ball. This has been especially true over the last two years. The 2023 Super Bowl run would not have occurred if the defense weren’t elite (though obviously Mahomes and the offense had their moments as well). And while the defense took a step back from elite to merely “good” in 2024, it was still just as important to the team’s overall success as the offense was in a second consecutive down year for the offensive side of the ball.
If the defense maintains from last year, it should be a solid unit. If it can get back to its 2023 form, it gives them a significantly better chance of making yet another deep playoff run. The thing about a high-level defense is that it generally keeps games close. And as we’ve seen over the years, no one is better at closing out close games than Mahomes and the Chiefs.
So let’s look at each position group, figuring out whether it’s better, worse, or similar to last season on paper. Remember, when looking at 2024 contributors we’re going by snap count, then looking at anticipated 2025 contributors.
Cornerbacks
2024- Trent McDuffie (92%), Nazeeh Johnson (46%), Josh Williams (38%), Jaylen Watson (32%), Christian Roland-Wallace (18%), Keith Taylor (7.3%)
2025- Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Kristian Fulton, Josh Williams, Nazeeh Johnson, Christian Roland-Wallace, Nohl Williams
If there’s one group that leads me to a positive place about Kansas City’s 2025 defense improving from 2024 the most, it’s the cornerback spot. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the first can be seen when you look through the snap count percentages from 2024. Cornerback, much like wide receiver, saw injuries and some uncertainty take a toll last season. In particular, the injury to CB2 Jaylen Watson and the lack of development by Johnson (who was, in his defense, a year removed from an injury that can take time for CBs to come back from) and Williams.
As I wrote when Watson returned late in the season, his physicality and ability to provide competency at the CB2 spot was desperately missed. But just as importantly, with Watson gone defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was stuck with corners that he either didn’t trust due to missed assignments and mental errors (Williams) or guys who just couldn’t perform when they were needed (Johnson). That led to him being forced to keeping McDuffie on the outside in 3 CB sets, which led to a drastic downgrade in the slot in those scenarios (whether it was Roland-Wallace, who I actually liked a bit, or Chamarri Conner playing out of position, which often went very poorly when he was 1x1 against slot WRs).
Those troubles at CB were problematic for Kansas City for multiple reasons. Spags relies on a strong coverage unit that is capable of executing disguises and being smart in zone. He also, given his aggressive tendencies, needs players he trusts to operate in man coverage long enough for pressure to get home on those dialed-up snaps. Finally, when there are coverage issues it exposes the pass rush by allowing the ball to come out fast. In short, Kansas City’s defense is by far at its best when it has three corners who can be competent or better in coverage.
That’s why the Chiefs brought in Kristian Fulton, who on paper is a terrific fit for what Spags wants his CBs to do.
