Going into this season, the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense was primarily built on the same players and an influx of rookie talent at cornerback but didn’t see massive schematic change or personnel overhaul. The Chiefs didn’t bring expensive defensive linemen, cornerbacks or linebackers to the team, instead opting for their in-house guys and rookies to fill critical roles.
The only position that underwent an overhaul in free agency was at safety, where the Chiefs opted to let former All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu walk, opting to replace him with a younger safety from the Houston Texans Justin Reid.