Dorian O’Daniel has been a bit of a mystery with the Kansas City Chiefs, but during the Week 4 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, he proved that he needs more snaps on defense.
The former 2018 third-round draft pick has played just 319 defensive snaps during his career, with 302 of those snaps coming in his rookie season under defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. Since Steve Spagnuolo has been in the fold, he has played just 17 total snaps on defense. Two of those snaps came in Philadelphia against the Eagles on Sunday, and they prove exactly why he can be an asset to the Chiefs’ defense in the coming weeks.
O’Daniel’s first snap came on second-and-10 in the fourth quarter on one of the Eagles’ final possessions. He was entrusted as the quarterback spy on a three-man rush, essentially mirroring the moves of Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. The result of the play was a sack by Mike Danna, but O’Daniel certainly drew the assist.
The #Chiefs play 3 QBs who rank in the top-10 in rushing over the next 3 weeks. Dorian O'Daniel played two defensive snaps vs. the #Eagles and Jalen Hurts last week (also top 10). He proved he can be an asset as a QB spy against mobile QBs. He contributes to Danna's sack here. pic.twitter.com/GeoFblLQML
— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) October 8, 2021
This week, the Chiefs face Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, who has the fourth-most rushing yards by a QB in the NFL through four weeks of play (129). Allen is big, physical and he’s known to scramble if he faces pressure. It’s the perfect opportunity to bust out the three-man rush with O’Daniel spying the QB, especially when Buffalo has a long down and distance to convert.
It shouldn’t stop there, though. In Week 6, the Chiefs face Washington Football Team QB Taylor Heinicke, who has the eighth-most rushing yards among QBs. In Week 7, Kansas City heads to Tennessee to face the Titans and QB Ryan Tannehill, who has the sixth-most rushing yards in the league. If O’Daniel can replicate his play from Week 4, he’ll be a massive asset for Kansas City over the next three weeks.
The second snap for O’Daniel came on a zero blitz on fourth down. He wasn’t the sole reason the Chiefs secured a turnover on downs, but he certainly helped contribute to that. It was a good snap where he beat veteran Eagles C Jason Kelce.
When defensive play has been lacking through the first four weeks, especially at the linebacker position, the Chiefs would be wise to reward O’Daniel’s play with more opportunities on defense. Even with Willie Gay Jr. expected to return to action, O’Daniel could be a nice weapon for the Chiefs to employ against dual-threat QBs. Had they discovered this a few weeks earlier, the team might have found more success containing Ravens QB Lamar Jackson.
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