When the Kansas City Chiefs signed safety Tyrann Mathieu to the team earlier this offseason, it was a big acquisition. Not only did the Chiefs acquire one of the more talented secondary players in the league, but they improved a defense that wasn’t at its best last year.
According to head coach Andy Reid, the addition of Mathieu has been more than anyone could have thought.
In a new report on Mathieu and his emergence as the face of the Chiefs defense, ESPN’s Adam Teicher spoke to Reid about the acquisition, who gushed about the safety.
“The way he plays, the way he goes about his profession here, for young guys it's invaluable [to see],” Reid said. “Here you bring in a veteran player that does it the right way. … He's going to go out and he's going to attack it and study and take the leadership role, handle it the way you're supposed to handle it on and off the field.”
While this may seem like high praise, there’s likely some truth in the matter as well. The Chiefs were one overtime stop away from potentially beating the New England Patriots in last year’s AFC Championship Game, and with former safety Eric Berry having been released, and Justin Houston also gone, the Chiefs are in desperate need of a new leader.
Thankfully for them, Mathieu has never been one to shy away from that role, and it looks like he’s quickly taken on the job of trying to lead his new defense.
While Mathieu said that he’s usually tended to stay quiet, it seems as if the Chiefs will be learning through action, and with Mathieu’s noteworthy work ethic, who knows where he’ll be able to take the Chiefs defense.
If they are able to get somewhat close to the level of contribution that the offense has provided, the AFC may have a new ruler soon.
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