The changes to the Chiefs' defense follow two specific themes

The hope was to be scouting the New England Patriots, formulating a game plan to carry the Chiefs into the AFC Championship Game. Instead, in the middle of January, coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach were looking at film of their own team, embarking on an early offseason.

Because before they could identify targets — free agents, draft acquisitions and the like — they first had to better understand exactly what prevented the league’s 28th-ranked defense from performing at a higher level.

“When we looked at the defense and we’re trying to get different pieces in the right place, I don’t think you can get better until you develop and get a mindset of how you’re going to play,” Veach said. “You gotta get corners, you gotta get pass rushers — we’re all aware of that — but it starts with a mindset.”

That mindset? Aggression.

Veach diagnosed it as part of the problem in 2017. Reid added that the Chiefs “got a little bit old there at a couple of spots.”

The hope for solutions to both of those concerns were revealed over the course of the past 48 hours. The Chiefs introduced newly acquired linebacker Anthony Hitchens in a news conference Thursday and cornerbacks Kendall Fuller and David Amerson via teleconference.

Earlier this offseason, the Chiefs opted not to bring back linebacker Derrick Johnson, pass rusher Tamba Hali and safety Ron Parker, and traded cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams.

“Now all of a sudden we’re back young again,” Reid said.

As for that mindset ...

“When you turn on the tape and watch Anthony Hitchens play, he plays with toughness, with that mindset,” Veach said. “So when we take the field, that opposing offense knows they’re gonna be in for a dogfight for four quarters.

“That’s one of the things we talked about as a staff — we can get new players, but we gotta develop that mindset. That’s what this guy brings. When you watch him play, he leaves it all on the field.”

It wasn’t simply the public message. It was also the one delivered to Hitchens, Fuller and Amerson before they signed on to join a Chiefs defensive unit that ranked in the bottom fourth of most major statistical categories.

“They said they wanna be aggressive,” Hitchens said.

The response to last season’s struggles was not a change in coaching staff — the Chiefs retained defensive coordinator Bob Sutton — but rather a change in personnel that they hope will allow for some tweaks to the scheme. Amerson said he was told the Chiefs were interested in playing press coverage “90 percent of the time,” greater than the rate of Peters during his time in Kansas City.

Reid said that Fuller, acquired in the trade of quarterback Alex Smith to Washington, will start on the outside — with Sutton determining whether the left or right cornerback spot is the best fit — after metrics rated him as the best slot cornerback in the NFL in 2017.

“When we talk to corners, that’s what we talk about — when you come here, you’re gonna press,” Reid said. “That’s what we do. We still did that with Marcus here. That’s one of the things this defense is about. We gotta get up and gotta play aggressive and play man coverage.”

The Chiefs have some notable departures on defense, none more so than Peters, a two-time All-Pro cornerback whose absence will be felt. A day after Veach was vague in the reasoning for Peters’ departure, Reid echoed that vagueness Thursday.

In one question about Peters, he immediately diverted his answer to the new inside linebacker duo of Hitchens and Reggie Ragland. It’s a spot on the field that lacked consistent production in 2017, allowing teams to gash the Chiefs with the run. Kansas City gave up the eighth most rushing yards per game, and then it yielded 202 rushing yards to the Titans in the AFC Wild Card Game.

“Everybody says (Ragland) is a thumper. They use that term. Well, he will thump you. He will hit you now,” Reid said. “But he also can run. And then you add Hitchens into the mix here. And you’ll see what I’m saying. Hitch has that ability, like D.J. did, to get small and has that feel of getting into those tight cracks and making tackles that you saw D.J. (make).”

He paused briefly. Then added, “Let’s not forget that Eric Berry is coming back. He’s our quarterback on that defensive side. He’s excited, working hard. Our secondary now is — not that it wasn’t before — but we got some good players there, and we’re ready to roll. It’s a plus situation.”

This story was originally published March 15, 2018 at 5:33 PM with the headline "The changes to the Chiefs' defense follow two specific themes."