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Keep your eye on these eight players when the #Chiefs play the #Saints in their first preseason game on Sunday.
The Kansas City Chiefs host some serious talent on their 90-man roster and will need to get a good look at several up-and-coming prospects during their first preseason game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Several players have stood out in training camp, but impressing fans and coaches in practice means little if in-game results leave something to be desired.
Here are eight players to keep your eye on in Kansas City’s preseason tilt against the Saints on Sunday:
#Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is challenging safety Bryan Cook to become a leader on Kansas City’s defense this season. | from: @EdEastonJr
The front office of the Kansas City Chiefs, led by general manager Brett Veach, has constantly been forward-thinking about adding younger talent to the team’s roster. Kansas City hasn’t dwelled much on retaining established veterans and tends to build their squad through the draft, choosing to develop players in-house instead of turning to free agency to fill crucial roles.
A solid example of this formula was the selection of Cincinnati safety Bryan Cook in 2022. He initially played in a reserve role behind Juan Thornhill. Now, after Thornhill’s departure in the offseason, Cook will get his chance to take over a starting spot this season. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo met with the media after Tuesday’s practice and praised Cook’s work ethic and development in training camp.
“Bryan [Cook] is really going to become the quarterback of the defense,” Spagnuolo explained. “Him and Nick [Bolton], and [he is] especially the quarterback on the back end. One other thing about Bryan [Cook] is he’s always looking for feedback.
“He came the other day and he wanted to do some more drills. That’s one thing he’s got, we saw that when we were looking at him out of [The University of] Cincinnati, his work, he loves football, passionate about football and we’re banking on him in that regard.”
Spagnulolo had utilized Cook in many big spots, including in Super Bowl LVII. He has shown his confidence in the young safety, and fans will have to stay tuned to see how Spagnuolo will plan to maximize Cook’s talent in 2023.
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Chiefs safety Justin Reid wasn’t shy in expressing the confidence of Kansas City’s defense ahead of their 2023 championship defense campaign. | from: @LazarczykLogan
The Kansas City Chiefs had five rookies play a significant number of snaps for their defense in 2022, and battled through steep learning curves and lapses in judgment early in the season as they got their first-year players acclimated to life in the NFL.
Safety Justin Reid was also new to coordinator Steve Spagunolo’s system last year, and while he was a seasoned veteran entering the Super Bowl campaign, he too took time to adjust to the new defensive scheme. Reid spoke to reporters after practice on Saturday, telling the media that he believes that the defense’s improved confidence is evident heading into their second year together, as communication and speed have vastly improved.
“[We have] a whole lot [of confidence] across the board,” Reid said. “We watch the film from this time last year to right now, especially with the first team – not nearly as many busts, windows are tight. I know [in] previous training camps it used to be when the offense wasn’t scoring a lot of points, it [was assumed] that the offense had a bad day. But this year, the defense is playing well too. We are trying to make it hard on the offense – we give them a lot of looks, they give us a lot of looks – it’s competitive and it’s back-and-forth every day.”
What Reid described in his comments is what makes this Chiefs team so intriguing ahead of their 2023 campaign. In the past, it was the offense that carried the team, while the defense fell behind.
Now, it is a well-balanced team that can win a football game in multiple different ways. Trent McDuffie, Bryan Cook, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, and George Karlaftis, among others, are entering their second seasons in the NFL — giving Kansas City’s fans reason for optimism that this Chiefs defense can be a top-10 unit in the league.
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This interception by Nick Bolton was one of the best defensive highlights from #Chiefs training camp.
After nearly two weeks of highlights from the offensive side of the ball, the Kansas City Chiefs got their first truly jaw-dropping defensive play in training camp from linebacker Nick Bolton on Thursday.
The third-year starter was deep downfield in coverage against receiver Skyy Moore when he tipped a pass high into the air. As Moore scrambled to get his eyes on the ball, Bolton secured it with one hand while taking contact from second-year safety Bryan Cook.
A slow-motion video of the impressive interception was featured on the Chiefs’ official Twitter page, where Bolton’s effort got the love it deserved shortly after practice ended.
What a pick 🤯 @_nickbolton2 pic.twitter.com/1b1LaZRSHo
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) August 3, 2023
Bolton has emerged as a key contributor for Kansas City over the past two seasons and will look to keep up his outstanding effort in 2023 as he helps the Chiefs chase another Super Bowl victory.
If he can add a ball-hawking element to his game, Bolton may prove to be the next truly great linebacker in the franchise’s history and a pest for opposing quarterbacks.
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Steve Spagnuolo credited two #Chiefs for his defense’s improvement in zone coverage after Monday’s practice.
The Kansas City Chiefs defense has taken a back seat to the team’s prolific offense in recent seasons, but coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is out to prove that his unit can turn the tide in 2023.
He spoke to reporters on Monday about the Chiefs’ improvement in zone coverage during training camp and credited two young leaders on Kansas City’s defense for their efforts in practice that have helped his unit turn a corner.
“There’s tighter coverage,” Spagnuolo explained. “We’re a zone match team, I think our guys are doing a better job of that. That’s a credit to the guys in the middle that are leading it like Nick [Bolton] and Bryan Cook, they are kind of in the middle of the whole thing and then our corners are playing pretty tight. I think rep after rep after rep we get a lot of passes thrown at us here, so we better get good at it because we certainly get plenty of work.”
Spagnuolo will do his best to ensure that the Chiefs’ defense doesn’t take a step back over the next month before the regular season.
Kansas City will face its first live-action competition on August 13th when they square off against the New Orleans Saints, who will look to undo the progress that the Chiefs’ defense has been making in workouts.
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#Chiefs safety Bryan Cook spoke about learning from veteran Justin Reid after Friday’s padded workouts. | from: @EdEastonJr
The Kansas City Chiefs have a healthy mix of veterans and young talent at every position at Missouri Western State University for training camp. Another Super Bowl title is the only goal for the team, and Friday marked the first day of padded practice where they honed their skills for the new season.
One of the Chiefs’ young talents in the secondary is safety Bryan Cook who has shown signs of taking the next step in his development as training camp has gotten underway. During Friday’s post-practice press conference, Cook took time to acknowledge the mentorship and support he’s received from veteran teammate Justin Reid.
“There’s so much to learn from him,” Reid explained. “Outside of football, I will say, let’s just start off [with] life… Coming in as a rookie, you don’t know anything, so to learn from him – he actually got to stay here, which is beautiful – but like off the field, learn about how to manage through life, how to manage through becoming in this situation, you know this wasn’t always a thing for me. Just being comfortable in front of the camera, and things like that.
“On the field, just being ready, being a pro. I think this goes for everything, as you can see, he’s playing at a high level, which I definitely enjoy, but just learn from him because he’s a vet so whatever he knows, I like to try to pick his brain about certain things but it’s about everything. I can’t just pinpoint one thing, it’s more about from the way I wake up, to off the field, and the way I come back in here if I’m on the field, it’s constant learning from him trying to figure it out and pick his brain about things.”
Cook is entering his second season in the NFL and has already shown more maturity and leadership qualities at the early stages of training camp compared to where he was a year ago as a rookie. Reid has been viewed by many of the young defensive backs as a leader since joining the team last year, and he will continue to work on improving his game and lifting up his teammates, including Cook, during the Chiefs’ upcoming 2023 campaign.
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Bryan Cook explained his mindset in mentoring younger players in the #Chiefs’ secondary during training camp. | from: @EdEastonJr
The Kansas City Chiefs are building their secondary with young talent to elevate their up-and-coming defense. One of the many players involved in the Chiefs’ defensive youth movement is second-year safety Bryan Cook, who is focused on becoming a leader for the unit in 2023.
Cook spoke with reporters after Friday’s training camp practice, providing plenty of encouragement for his teammates and laying out his plans to mentor the younger crowd in the Chiefs’ secondary.
“I’m just in a different mindset right now,” He explained. “I’m just trying to get my guys to understand what we plan on every down as much as possible, that’s where my head is at. When the pads go on, when the crowd comes up, and when the first game comes to the present, then it’ll be a whole different situation. But right now, I’m just focused on getting the guys in the right position, playing fast, understanding what Coach wants me to do, and working on the details before I get into the season.”
Cook would go on to elaborate on the meaning of his “my guys” remark in regard to his young cohorts in the Chiefs’ secondary and the action he intends to take to ensure that the unit continues to progress through training camp.
“[They are] my guys regardless. Even last year they were still my guys,” Cook said. “Because at the end of the day [at] the position of safety my [objective] is to get everyone lined up and ready to play. Honestly speaking, I’m the last line of defense, so if I’m confused back there and I don’t know what’s going on that’s a very big problem, especially for the guys in front of me. So my objective is to be as confident [and] as ready as I can be.”
Cook’s growth since the Chiefs’ 2022 campaign bodes well for the secondary’s trajectory and signals a positive outlook for the unit’s development heading into the new season.
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Justin Reid shared his thoughts on the youngest members of the #Chiefs’ secondary after practice on Sunday.
Veteran safety Justin Reid is one of the most senior players on the Kansas City Chiefs defense and seems primed for a huge 2023 campaign as the team looks to defend its newly won Super Bowl title. He will be tasked with leading a secondary that is chock-full of youthful talent that has the potential to blossom into a valuable asset for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Asked for his assessment of the younger defensive backs on Kansas City’s roster after practice on Sunday, Reid went in-depth on each of the team’s first and second-year players.
“I’m going to start with the second-year players, start with my partner in crime Bryan Cook. I mean [the] guy is a baller, very cerebral player, probably the loudest communicator on the defense out of the DBs,” Reid explained. “You love to have that – a vocal guy that’s confident in the back end. All the young guys – Trent McDuffie, Jaylen (Watson), J-Will (Joshua Williams), Nazeeh Johnson all (are) doing an amazing job.
“The [first-year] young guys coming in Isaiah [Norman], Ekow [Boye-Doe]. These guys, they have their ears wide open. They’re humble, they’re willing to learn. Spags’ [Steve Spagnuolo] system is not easy but they’re willing to put in the work and we have good veterans in the room willing to lead them along and teach them.”
Watch for Reid to continue mentoring these players as training camp moves along, especially Bryan Cook, who the veteran seems to have taken under his wing in the early phase of the new season. With his help, the Chiefs’ up-and-coming secondary could prove to be among the NFL’s best by the end of their 2023 campaign.
How does each AFC West team compare at the safety position?
The final position on the defense that gets a look is the safety spot. And the AFC West has two of the best in the league in its ranks.
Mike Edwards told reporters that #Chiefs second-year safety Bryan Cook “looks like a vet” and “is making all of the calls” in the secondary. | from @EdEastonJr
The Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff will evaluate every position during their stay at the Missouri Western State University. The questions in the secondary will need answers immediately for Steve Spagnuolo’s young and athletic defense.
The Chiefs are taking a significant look at their depth at defensive back, most notably the safety positions. The unit performed well last season but will enter 2023 without former starter Juan Thornhill, who departed for the Cleveland Browns this offseason.
Veteran safety Mike Edwards signed with Kansas City after spending four years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Edwards was a member of the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV team that defeated the Chiefs in 2020. He finished last season with two interceptions in 13 games, one of which was a pick-six.
He spoke with reporters on Thursday about his new teammates and praised second-year player Bryan Cook.
“Yeah, they’re real smart,” said Edwards. “Like I said, J. Reid (Justin Reid) has been in the league for a long time. He’s, you know, the veteran guy out there. So I learn from him. And Bryan (Cook), ‘Big Cookie,’ he didn’t look like he was a rookie last year. He looks phenomenal. He’s making all the calls back there and looks like a vet out there. So my guy, you know, me and him from Cincinnati, so we’ve got our Cincinnati ties. So, gotta love him. We’re doing good back there.”
Cook appeared in 16 games as a rookie last season, playing 32% of the team’s defensive snaps. During that span, he recorded 33 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack and two passes defended.
While Edwards didn’t get a chance to see Cook play up close in 2022, it’s certainly a compliment to say that he doesn’t look like a second-year player and commands the defense like a veteran.
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