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After an underwhelming showing from their defense in Super Bowl LV, the Kansas City Chiefs hope to see big returns on players they added to the unit this offseason. With even only a marginal improvement in play from their defenders, the team should be able to cash in on their potential and compete for another Super Bowl this season.
This team’s identity has largely been a function of their offense in recent years, despite investments in big-name talent on the other side of the ball. The 2021 season could be pivotal for the Chiefs’ effort to become what might be referred to as a “dynasty.” All indications from camp are that all players, top to bottom, are intent on being part of something special.
The addition of Tyrann Mathieu in free agency stands out as the most crucial to the team’s rise to the top. Mathieu is a proven playmaker headed into his ninth season as an NFL starter and has been the vocal leader of the defense since he signed with the team in 2019.
Now in his third year as a Chief, Mathieu sees unbridled potential for the team, especially with some of the younger talents on defense. Asked about his expectations for Kansas City’s first preseason game, Mathieu emphasized the defense’s need to keep points off the board.
“Anytime a defense takes the field, you want the other team out of the endzone,” Mathieu told reporters. “Obviously, you want to see the young guys kind of step up, make plays. I think the most important thing you want is to be able to communicate. You want to have some communication. Obviously, you don’t want to have any mental errors, so I’d probably say those are the things that I look for as a player when I take the field is how well can I communicate, how can I not have mental errors, and then it’s all about playing fast.”
A seasoned veteran, Mathieu has been through the training camp process before and knows firsthand that improvement starts with the fundamentals. For Mathieu, though, his utility to the Chiefs lies in his ability to play multiple roles within the defense, something he has become known for in NFL circles.
Not only is Mathieu an excellent defender in pass coverage, but his talents are also such that he can be equally useful to the team in run protection, effectively an extra linebacker in the box when needed. This multi-use skillset and his stand-out play have created a new, almost position-less archetype of players around the league as something of a defensive hybrid.
Though relatively bashful in his comments to the media, Mathieu commented on his role in helping to pioneer this new mold for defenders.
“Most of these scouts are looking for guys that are six feet and run 4.3,” Mathieu told reporters.“I think for us guys in our bucket, we just try to make the most of what God gave us. A lot of the time, it’s our instincts, our mental approach, so I do sense a trend of more and more guys wanting to play more than one spot.”
There’s no doubt that Mathieu has capitalized on every ounce of given talent he has in him, making an immeasurable impact on the league in the process. With the regular season drawing ever closer, he hopes to keep improving and help Kansas City win their second title in three years.
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