The Kansas City Chiefs spent this offseason looking at ways to improve from last season. They did take some hits on both sides of the ball this offseason in free agency. But the biggest hit came on the defensive side of the ball. Next season, the Chiefs defense will look a lot different than it has over the last few years. The Chiefs will have a lot of new faces, and we have to see how they play.
But one thing the Chiefs did well at was getting better up front on the defensive line. The Chiefs want to do a better job of getting after the quarterback and getting him down.
The Chiefs have not been a team that has consistently been able to get after the quarterback over the years with just their front four. When the Chiefs get after the quarterback, they are sending more than four or sending the house.
That was a huge area that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo talked about this offseason. And in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Chiefs attacked that area. They went after some young and talented defensive linemen.
They went after Omarr Norman-Lott in the second round of the draft. Then they went after edge rusher Ashton Gillotte in the third round of the draft. And even got a good linebacker in the fifth round in Jeffrey Bassa. All these rookies will have a good impact on the team next season. These are the guys that the Chiefs will work on all training camp long and see what they can do up front.
They will all benefit from playing alongside one of the best defensive players in the NFL in Chris Jones. And if they do things right, they will be up there with Jones, getting after the quarterback.
One thing we do know about Spagunolo is that he will have these rookies ready to go no matter the situation. That is something the Chiefs have done well over the years. It will be fun to see how the young talent on the defense will impact their team next season. It could be huge for them and it is something that is going to be watched all of next season.
The Chiefs need the front four to get after the quarterback. If they can do that, it will help out the secondary as well.
