Everyone's watching Mahomes on Monday. I get it, I will be too. But I want to talk about the guy running the other side of the ball, Steve Spagnuolo. Over the past four years, his defense has allowed the fewest points in the entire NFL.
This year's group got a real jolt of talent. The Chiefs traded up for cornerback Mansoor Delane with the No. 6 overall pick, a legitimate top-of-the-draft investment in the secondary, and added Jadon Canady in the fourth round. Then, in genuinely great news, L'Jarius Sneed is back. Kansas City brought him home on a one-year deal this June, reuniting him with Spagnuolo's system where he first became a star. Over his final three seasons with the Chiefs the first time around, Sneed put up 262 tackles, 33 passes defended, 7 interceptions, 4.5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles, and helped win two Super Bowls doing it.
Rookies are already making noise too. Edge rusher R Mason Thomas has flashed real pass-rush juice all preseason, generating multiple pressures and nearly turning a screen pass into a pick-six against Tampa Bay. That game, by the way, the defense posted a shutout through the first 30 minutes, against the Bucs' actual starters, not backups
The one thing worth watching: the secondary's dealt with a rotating cast of injuries through camp, so the exact starting group is still settling in heading into Week 1. Not unusual for a defense with this much new talent, and honestly, better to work through that now than in November.
Bottom line: while the whole world is locked on Mahomes' return, Spagnuolo's defense has a genuine building block at cornerback, a proven veteran back in the fold, and a rookie who's already turning heads. That's a real reason for optimism!
Who is the defensive player you are watching this season?