It’s time for Chiefs midterm player grades. Here’s how the defense stacks up
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Midseason metrics show Chiefs defense ranks seventh in yards allowed per game.
- Kansas City pursues franchise-first streak after top-10 finishes in 2023 and 2024.
- Karlaftis posts elite pressure rates and ranks fourth in total pressures despite absence.
Halfway through the 2025 season, the Chiefs defense is on pace for a franchise-first.
The good kind.
In the last half-century, the Chiefs have never finished as a top-10 defense in yards allowed in three consecutive seasons. After finishing second in 2023 and ninth a year ago, the Chiefs have allowed the seventh fewest yards per game this year.
That’s without their best player performing at his peak.
How have they done it? Let’s hand out the midseason player grades.
(We’ve graded the offense, too.)
Note: I’m grading players who have participated in at least 25% of the offensive snaps, along with every draft pick.
Kansas City Chiefs defense grades
George Karlaftis, edge: A
The Chiefs rank 21st in pass rush win rate and 19th in pressure rate, but don’t hang that on Karlaftis. He has a career-best 15.8% pressure rate, which includes 14 quick pressures, per NGS. Those are both top-10 among defensive lineman. He’s fourth in total pressures, too, per PFF. He’s not the problem.
Chris Jones, defensive tackle: B-
The grades are on a curve of expectation, and the Chiefs expect (and pay for) more from their star defensive tackle. Jones has just two sacks, and he’s been particularly quiet over the last three games, totaling just five pressures, tied for 31st in the league over that time frame. That’s a pressure rate of 2.9% across the three weeks. Jones didn’t post big sack numbers a year ago either, but he still led interior linemen in pressures until the final week of the season, which he sat out. He’s fifth in that stat today. He occupies three times the salary cap space of any other defender. The dip in play has been exaggerated, but the Chiefs do need more.
Derrick Nnadi, defensive tackle: C
The Chiefs brought Nnadi back into the fold after letting him walk in the offseason, cutting Mike Pennel to make room. Then they brought Pennel back last week. Why? Well, because Nnadi hasn’t impressed. In 116 run snaps across nine games, he has only twice has stopped a runner for a no gain or loss.
Charles Omenihu, edge: C+
Twice, Omenihu has put together pass rush games that look like his old self. But that’s twice in nine weeks. There was reason to believe he’d have his best year in Kansas City because he had his first normal offseason since his arrival. But his 7.1% pressure rate is a career low. His ability to rotate inside allows the Chiefs some desperately-needed flexibility, but Omenihu is a guy who needs to get going in the second half. He’s capable.
Nick Bolton, linebacker: B+
It’s the same story for Nick Bolton — he’s been a premier run defender who can get exposed in coverage. He records a tackle on nearly one-fourth of opposing run plays, the fifth highest rate in the league, per Next Gen Stats. He’s eighth in the league in tackles for no gain or a loss with 29, per PFF. That’s why the Chiefs brought him back. Well, that and his ability to allow coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to utilize a more expansive playbook.
Drue Tranquill, linebacker: A-
The timing of these grades don’t work out well for Tranquill, because he struggled in Buffalo. But it’s the first game that’s really been true. Tranquill had been enjoying a bounce-back season, active in the pass rush in the opener and as a run defender since.
Leo Chenal, linebacker: B+
Chenal is a valuable chess piece who can move around a little more than he did early in his career. He’s best against the run, though his first career interception against the Ravens, a game-changing play, was a highlight. It’s more than an added bonus that he’s the team’s best special teams player.
Trent McDuffie, cornerback: A+
The lone A+ grade on the defense’s midterm grades goes to McDuffie. It’s past time he earns his first Pro Bowl selection, but he’s pretty clearly barreling toward that kind of year. McDuffie has been about as good as any cornerback in the league and an oh-so-perfect fit for Spagnuolo’s system. He plays a heavy dose of press coverage, yet he’s allowed fewer than 100 yards while lined up in that formation. He can also shift to the slot, a versatility the Chiefs ought to use more frequently in the second half of the season as Nohl Williams grows more comfortable. We probably haven’t talked enough this year about Trent McDuffie.
Jaylen Watson, cornerback: A-
If it wasn’t for Trent McDuffie, maybe Jaylen Watson would receive a little more hype. He’s played as well as any CB2 in the league. Like McDuffie, he plays a lot of press-man and has excelled at it. It’s a contract year for Watson, who’s in line to get paid this offseason, and that might be more likely to come from another team.
Chamarri Conner, safety: C+
Conner is much more suited for safety that the slot, where he’s struggled to defend one-on-one. He has allowed the league’s fourth-highest average separation among his targets. Since playing more frequently as a safety, Conner has looked far more comfortable.
Bryan Cook, safety: A-
I voted him as the Chiefs’ most improved player midway through the season. Cook grades as a top-10 safety, a description I wouldn’t have thought about using a year ago. The Chiefs have been much less susceptible to explosive plays than they were in 2024, and Cook is a big reason why.
Omarr Norman-Lott, defensive tackle: Incomplete
I’ll give out just one of these across the offense and defense combined, but it’s with reason: Norman-Lott tore his ACL and is out for the year. It’s left a hole in the middle of the Chiefs defense, which was already a question mark entering camp.
Ashton Gillotte, edge: B
Gillotte’s effort and tenacity pops on the film, but he has just half of a sack midway through his rookie year. He’s sixth in pressures among the rookie class, and the five with more were all drafted before Gillotte, who went 66th overall. On the other hand, his pass rush win rate ranks 21st among the class. Still, there are some tools that can play.
Jerry Tillery, defensive tackle: C+
Tillery hasn’t been fine, but hasn’t popped much, and he’s had enough playing time to do so. His pass rush win rate ranks 92nd among 124 interior lineman, and it doesn’t help that he has the highest missed tackle rate among the group.
Mike Danna, edge: B
Mike Danna has provided pretty much what you’d expect. He sets the edge on running plays and occasionally though not frequently works into the backfield. He had his first career interception and the lone sack of his season in the win against the Commanders on a Monday night.
Jeffrey Bassa, linebacker: B
Well, I promised to rate all of the rookies. Bassa has played only 13 defensive snaps this season, but he’s played 63% of the special teams snaps. He’s growing into that role, second on the team in special teams tackles, and he’ll likely grow into a more regular defensive role next season. Bassa is on the lighter side for an NFL linebacker, so with his background as a defensive back in his early college years, it will be interesting to see how the Chiefs use him in the future.
Nohl Williams, cornerback: B+
It was a slow burn in training camp, and looked as though the Chiefs might have to be patient with Williams, a third-round draft pick. But he’s worked his way into a steady role. The trip to Buffalo provided some learning moments, but the Chiefs have thrown Williams into the fire, leaving him one-on-one with some elite receivers, and he’s held his own. The future looks bright.
Kristian Fulton, cornerback: F
OK, I made one exception to the playing time or rookie rule. Fulton doesn’t reach either qualification. But that’s the problem. He is the most expensive defensive free agent signing the Chiefs made this offseason, and he can’t even crack the gameday lineup. After missing most of training camp with an injury, he fell (and stayed) behind in the playbook. He’s played just 17 snaps, which, sure, is partially a credit to the way other cornerbacks have played. The Chiefs have suffered some injuries at corner in past seasons, so there’s still time to get some use with Fulton, but for now this stands one of the season’s top disappointments.
Chris Roland-Wallace, safety: B+
A great story. Undrafted a year ago, Roland-Wallace surprised a lot of us when he made the team out of training camp. He plays like a veteran, even as the Chiefs have asked him to switch positions. As a part-time safety, he’s been terrific in coverage, and he’s actually yet to miss a tackle all year. His emergence is taking time away from 2024 draft pick Jaden Hicks.
Jaden Hicks, safety: B-
Speaking of which, Hicks got only four snaps in Buffalo. Many had pegged this as a breakout year, but he’s played less than half the snaps, and evidently trending in the wrong direction in terms of playing time. Hicks hasn’t been bad, but he’s been outplayed by teammates.