With a possible defensive rebuild and coming off of a poor defensive season, Coach Spagnoulo might have less room for error.
The Chiefs defense had a rough start to the season but was able to turn it around midway through the season, Spagnuolo was able to rally the troops and build a top 15 defense after some midseason changes to the defensive front and giving more reps to young guys like Nick Bolton and Juan Thornhill. Last season it was pretty obvious that some of these players deserved more reps after seeing a significant difference when some guys were on the field.
I believe Spags is on a short leash this season due to his lack of adjustments in games, it has been his biggest weakness as a defensive assistant. There are sometimes when he keeps players in who keep making mistakes or takes players out who are performing. With former defensive captain Anthony Hitchens being released this week, many fans will be excited to see more of linebacker Nick Bolton this season. Bolton should have seen more playing time last year and if Bolton can take it to another level this year, this defense can be scary.
With the Chiefs moving on from Hitchens and possibly releasing other players post-June, it’s no question the offseason focus for the Chiefs is to rebuild the front seven. There have been rumors circulating that the Chiefs will attempt to trade for defensive end Josh Allen from Jacksonville.
If the Chiefs can bring him in, that would be a huge boost for Kansas City and would make the defensive line so much better. There will be some tough choices to make this off-season, but if Spags wants to continue coaching in KC, he will have to have a stellar year and hopefully will build a top 10 defense in the league.
