The Kansas City Chiefs have had a successful offseason thus far, as they franchise tagged skilled offensive lineman Orlando Brown Jr. then signed free agent wide receiver JuJu Smith Schuster to a deal. Clearly, Kansas City has made the offensive side of the ball a priority, which makes sense given how much money the team has invested in star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. It makes sense to put the best possible weapons around Mahomes to maximize his skills. However, the Chiefs know that what helped get their team to the promised land back in 2019 was a strong defense, which they lacked at times this past season. One area of the defense in particular could do with an upgrade. That said, here is the Chiefs' biggest remaining need after the first week of the 2022 NFL free agency period.
Chiefs Biggest 2022 NFL Free Agency Need
Pass Rush
After the first week of the 2022 NFL free agency period, it's clear that one need still remains for the Chiefs: the pass rush. Kansas City ranked 27th against the pass during the 2021 regular season and one of the big reasons for that was the fact that too often, the defense couldn't get home to the quarterback. The Chiefs registered one of the highest-pressure rates and blitz percentages in the league, though they recorded the fourth-fewest sacks. This suggests that the Kansas City was able to put pressure on opposing signal-callers, though they only really had success when they brought extra defenders on the blitz. The Chiefs simply didn't have the secondary to consistently get away with that- and they may not be much better in that area next year if free agent safety Tyrann Mathieu walks out the door.
However, the Chiefs' defense would likely be better against the pass if they could rush the quarterback without sending too many defenders on the blitz. Kansas City needs to prioritize edge defenders in the remaining time of the NFL's free agency period and the draft. With a top tier option in Za'Darius Smith available via free agency and a draft loaded with edge rusher prospects, there's simply, no excuse for the Chiefs to not get better in this area.
Chiefs' defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had to get creative this past season to make up for Kansas City's lack of a pass rush. The franchise can make things a bit easier on the coaching staff by bringing in the right pass rusher. The best-case scenario for the Chiefs would be to pay up for someone like Smith, a proven Pro Bowler at the edge rusher spot, to help shore up the pass rush. Kansas City could then add another piece through the draft, so that they could build a rotation of pass rushers, which would help keep everyone fresh.
The simple reality is, the Chiefs' offense is good enough to outscore any in the league. However, their defense simply didn't leave them with much of a margin for error this past season, largely due to a lack of a pass rush.
The Chiefs need to fix that this offseason.
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