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Drafting and developing players will be key to the Kansas City Chiefs’ future with QB Patrick Mahomes taking up a substantial part of the salary cap for the foreseeable future.
One area where the team has a lot of cheap and young talent is in the secondary. Bryan Cook will be one of the young players in contention to see his role and production increase compared to his rookie season. The second-round draft pick out of Cincinnati gained a good amount of experience last season, playing in multiple roles throughout the course of the season.
More particularly, Cook lined up almost three times more often at free safety than in the box. With the departure of Juan Thornhill, Cook will likely step into the starting lineup at free safety. Thornhill lined up at free safety over 800 times last season for Kansas City. That paired with fellow S Justin Reid noticeably bulking up, it is very plausible that Reid plays more at strong safety than he did a season ago.
Not only have circumstances surrounding other players opened up opportunities, but Cook’s play down the stretch proved he can play a major part in this defense.
Tackling was a strength of Cook’s in college, which translated over to the NFL. He wasn’t able to show it due to limited snaps in the first few weeks of the season, paired with the learning curve for a rookie. However, after those early games, the Cincinnati product’s game would sharpen all around in the playoffs.
The second-year safety had his best game in the AFC Championship Game against the Bengals. Not only was he stellar in the tackling department, but Cook made a great play on a pass from Joe Burrow. After providing the necessary help over the top, Cook tipped an attempted pass for Tee Higgins, leading to an interception by CB Joshua Williams. He proved that he was capable in the most important game of the season to that point. The performance also came against one of the best WR tandems in the league. It certainly provides optimism for the secondary’s future.
Finally, Cook has a certain level of confidence about him. It’s something that his teammates and coaches both have noticed. That confidence in his assignments should allow him to play faster and make fewer mistakes during the course of the 2023 NFL season.
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