The Kansas City Chiefs made a big splash in free agency when they signed All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu from the Houston Texans this past week.

Although some experts would say that the three-year, $42 million deal was a steep cost that the Chiefs had to pay for Mathieu's services, the move is a positive gain all-around for a franchise that was one win away from a Super Bowl berth.

Kansas City's porous defense proved to be the team's downfall yet again in last season's rematch against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. In turn, the addition of Mathieu will likely help remedy the Chiefs' woes on that side of ball.

But there's actually more than just on-field production that the LSU product can bring to the Chiefs' table.

Here are three bold predictions for Mathieu and the Chiefs heading into the 2019 season.

Tyrann Mathieu

3. A New Nickname?

Let's get things started with a lighter and more quirkier concept that is more of a longshot than any of the other bold predictions made here.

Every true NFL fan knows that one of that Mathieu's more endearing qualities is his nickname.

“Honey Badger” does have a nice and unique ring to it, and Mathieu's personality on and off the field makes his monicker stand out even more.

However, if the 26-year-old safety really wants to become a household name in Kansas City, he might want to consider having an alternate persona ala Shaq during his new stint in the Heart of America.

Kansas City is known for their amazing ribs, so why not go with something like “Honey-Glazed Badger” or straight-up “Honey Barbecue”? Perhaps he could also turn his real name into a clever pun like “Tyrann-osaurus ReKCs” with emphasis on Kansas City's initials in it, or “The Tyrann-ical Chieftain”?

The possibilities are quite endless for Mathieu's new nickname, and he's probably considering changing it already as we speak.

Tyrann Mathieu

2. Chiefs D/ST Value in Fantasy Will Soar

Despite finishing eighth in the NFL in total takeaways last season with 27 forced turnovers, Kansas City's defense has yet to regain the trust of fantasy football managers.

Over the past two seasons, the Chiefs D ranked in the bottom five of the NFL in terms of yards allowed per contest; 29th in 2017 and an even worse 31st in 2018.

While defensive turnovers are quick ways to garner points in fantasy, those numbers can be quickly offset by the sheer amount of yards surrendered to the opposition. Furthermore, the Chiefs only managed to turn two of their 27 takeaways last season into defensive TDs.

Having Mathieu as an enforcer will only strengthen KC's defensive stats. He was a key factor in turning the Texans defense around last season, with Houston jumping from the worst-ranked team in points allowed per game in 2017 to tied for fourth-fewest in 2018.

Mathieu is also a nice replacement for the turnover numbers that Rams cornerback Marcus Peters used to supply for the team, having at least one interception in each of his six seasons in the NFL. He'll also be a surprising source for single-point upticks with seven career sacks to date.

FantasyPros currently has the Kansas City D/ST as the 18th-best option for 2019, with some teams drafting it off the board as high as the fifth-overall D/ST. These are all better projections than the KC defense's latest iterations in fantasy, and Mathieu's signing plays a huge role in its rise.

Tyrann Mathieu, Texans

1. An Overall Improvement for Kansas City's Defense, and Not Just at the Safety Position

Saying that Mathieu is one of the most versatile defenders in the NFL is quite the understatement. It's worth noting that based on our recent coverage of the Mathieu-Chiefs deal, the New Orleans native played 12 different slots in Houston's defensive schemes, with a handful of them even being in the front-seven formation.

Mathieu is not like any typical safety whose main job is to patrol deep in coverage. He's got the athleticism to duke it out in the trenches as well to force opposing quarterbacks to suddenly scramble and plug running lanes that would've otherwise been open to opposing running backs.

Newly-appointed defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo already has a good rapport with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid from their time in Philadelphia from 1999 to 2006. Spagnuolo served both as a defensive backs coach and a linebackers coach during his stint in Philly with Reid, and players like Mathieu can benefit a lot from the tutelage of both his new mentors.

Honey Badger's skill set isn't limited to just his awareness and reflexes in the secondary. Spagnuolo knows well enough that he can maximize Mathieu's talents in all sorts of defensive formations in KC's defense, similar to what Houston did last season.

Mathieu will offer Kansas City a lot of different option and the defense will improve a lot because of his presence.