Chiefs camp preview: Tyrann Mathieu, a star among stars, leads the way at safety
With the Chiefs’ first training camp padded practices just days away, The Star has been previewing each position group.
We previously looked at quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, defensive line, linebackers and cornerbacks.
Here is an assessment of the Chiefs’ safeties.
2020 CAMP ROSTER
Tyrann Mathieu, Juan Thornhill, Daniel Sorensen, Armani Watts, Tedric Thompson, La’Jarius Sneed (cornerback/safety), Rodney Clemons
POSITION PREVIEW
Mathieu, fresh off his second career All-Pro season, returns as the clear leader on the back end of the Chiefs’ defensive coverage.
Signed as a free agent in 2019, Mathieu quickly established himself as a heartbeat of the team and led by example on and off the field. He’s heavily involved in the Kansas City community and social-justice issues, and his elite football skills helped the Chiefs secure a Super Bowl championship.
Mathieu started all 16 regular-season games and totaled a team-high 1,095 defensive snaps in 2019, an incredible 97.8 percent of the team’s total defensive snaps last season. He racked up 75 tackles, two sacks and two quarterback hits, plus four interceptions and 12 passes defensed.
In a perfect world, the Chiefs are set with Mathieu and Thornhill combining to provide a lethal one-two punch at the safety position. Thornhill, though, continues to recover from an ACL injury and subsequent surgery and is on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
Before suffering that knee injury in the Chiefs’ final regular-season game last winter, Thornhill was making a strong case for the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award, with 16 starts and 57 tackles, three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and five passes defensed.
While it remains to be seen when Thornhill might be able to return to practice, coach Andy Reid sounded encouraged by the free safety’s recent progress.
“He is doing well at this time, so once we get into that phase where we’re moving him around, the trainers are moving him around a little bit more, we’ll be able to tell,” Reid said during a recent Zoom call. “But he’s not ready, obviously, right now.”
With Thornhill likely to be relegated to an early spectator during training camp, the Chiefs went out and signed Thompson, who spent three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and can play both safety positions.
Watts returns for an important third season, a period when teams typically want to see growth, and his time on special teams (280 snaps) in 2019 should help him play fast and instinctively on defense.
If the Chiefs choose, they can also give camp repetitions at safety to Sneed, their fourth-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Sneed showed the flexibility to play both cornerback and safety in college and versatility is an attribute needed in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme.
Sorensen, the Swiss army knife of the Chiefs’ defensive backs, enters a contract year. His skill-set is essential to the Chiefs’ three-safety package and on special teams, where he is one of their core contributors.
The Chiefs signed Clemons as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Methodist.
KEY BATTLE
Thompson and Watts highlight the top battle at the safety position given Thornhill’s absence.
The Chiefs ranked eighth against the pass in 2019 and Thonrhill’s ability to read plays at free safety played a large role. If Thornhill isn’t ready for the start of the regular season Sept. 10 against the Houston Texans, the Chiefs have a large hole to fill.
Watt has the benefit of already having spent a season playing in Spagnuolo’s scheme, while Thompson provides game and starting experience from his three seasons in Seattle. Thompson, a fourth-round pick by the Seahawks in 2017, has appeared in 29 games with 16 starts, totaling 80 tackles, three interceptions and five interceptions.
With Thonrhill currently sidelined, Watt and Thompson have plenty of opportunities with the first- and second-team units to leave an impression on the KC coaching staff.
PLAYER TO WATCH
The 6-foot, 209-pound Clemons isn’t the fastest guy among this year’s safety group, but the Chiefs likely aren’t projecting the rookie as a free safety.
When assessing Clemons, think heat-seeking missile. That’s the way he played in college, with big plays and jarring hits against the run near the line of scrimmage and in the short passing game. He finished his college career at SMU with 272 total tackles, including 11.5 for a loss, two sacks, seven interceptions and 27 passes defensed.
Of course, Clemons has his work cut out for him as an undrafted rookie thrown into the fire of practice without the benefit of rookie minicamp, organized team activities and a mandatory three-day minicamp.
But he could certainly help his cause for either a spot on the regular-season roster or continued development on the team’s practice squad with a strong performance during training camp.
Previous installments, and remaining schedule, for our two-week Chiefs training camp preview series:
Monday: Quarterbacks: We know who No. 1 is, but what about the backups?
Tuesday: The defensive line: It will be a strength again.
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Sizing up the running backs depth chart
Thursday, Aug. 6: At linebacker, Hitchens anchors the corps
Friday, Aug. 7: Plenty of targets for Patrick Mahomes at WR
Monday, Aug. 10: After Ward, Chiefs have corner questions
Tuesday, Aug. 11: Among the tight ends, it’s Kelce and ...
Wednesday, Aug. 12: Safeties
Thursday, Aug. 13: offensive line
Friday, Aug. 14: special teams
