Why Chiefs’ defensive line could be more of an inside job for veteran Mike Danna
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs face defensive tackle gap after Nnadi and Wharton exit in offseason
- Veteran Mike Danna sees increased interior snaps during early camp drills
- Danna targets over eight sacks as Chiefs seek rebound from 2024 sack decline
Defensive tackle became an under-the-radar need for the Chiefs as they put together their 2025 roster.
Derrick Nnadi and Tershawn Wharton moved on, to the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, respectively. Returning was Chris Jones and the run-stuffing Mike Pennel. The Chiefs used a second-round draft pick on Omarr Norman-Lott and picked up Jerry Tillery in free agency.
But there is another candidate for the D-line rotation, and the Chiefs didn’t have to look far to find him.
Defensive end Mike Danna has been lining up inside at training camp on occasion and took several snaps there on Sunday, the first day of practice in pads at Missouri Western.
The new alignment isn’t entirely new to Danna, who took a handful of snaps at tackle last season. But early indications are that he could see more time inside this fall.
“Spags (Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) moves those guys around, but you’ve got to have a special knack if you’re going inside, and he’s got that,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said.
The Chiefs were solid defensively overall last season, yielding the fourth-fewest points and ninth-fewest yards in the NFL. But their sack total dropped from a robust 57 in 2023 to an pedestrian 39 last year, and in that span Danna dropped from a career best 6 1/2 to 3 1/2.
But Danna did record a sack of Josh Allen in the Chiefs’ AFC Championship Game victory over the Buffalo Bills.
On Sunday, Danna worked in packages that included the team’s top pass rushers: Chris Jones, George Karlaftis and Charles Omenihu, with Danna playing tackle. This isn’t a position switch for Danna, but it is a different look.
“If they need me to go inside and produce ... that’s what I’ll do,” Danna said.
In that role, instead of getting around a tackle, Danna looks to go through, or at least hold up, a center or guard.
“It’s different footwork, different techniques,” Danna said. “But you’ve got to be able to adjust. If you can adjust on the fly, you can excel.”
The goal, no matter where Danna lines up, is overall improvement. He even has a target for his sack total this season.
“Get better at pass rushing,” Danna said. “Finish with over eight sacks. That’s my goal. Every single year is about raising the bar.
“I want to keep pushing myself, work on my potential every single day.”
Danna, starting his sixth NFL season -- all with the Chiefs -- has started each of the past two seasons
This story was originally published July 27, 2025 at 1:09 PM.