Can KC Chiefs’ Defensive Ends Sustain Their Production Moving Forward?

The Chiefs' EDGE players are enjoying quality 2023 campaigns. How serious is their improvement, and can it be kept up down the stretch?

The Kansas City Chiefs' defensive line has been one of the keys to the larger group's success this season, with Chris Jones and friends making up a solid pass rush. The Week 7 addition of Charles Omenihu has only helped pile on top of what was already a productive unit.

Comprised of multiple players on rookie contracts, Kansas City's defensive end rotation relies on two non-Omenihu contributors. 2022 first-round pick George Karlaftis and 2020 fifth-round selection Mike Danna are the go-to options, and both have stepped their respective games up this year. Those developments, combined with the 2023 selections of Felix Anudike-Uzomah and BJ Thompson, gives defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive line coach Joe Cullen a good blend of youth, athleticism and upside to work with. The Chiefs' EDGE group is solid, but where does it go in the second part of the season?

Joshua Brisco and Jordan Foote start an Arrowhead Report discussion to assess where Kansas City is at with the position as the season passes its midpoint.

Biggest success

Brisco: The Chiefs weathered the storm of playing without Charles Omenihu for the first six weeks of the season, and now all of KC's pieces are in place. George Karlaftis has taken another step in his second season, Mike Danna is an excellent third EDGE, and with Omenihu and Danna flexing to the inside and Chris Jones moving to defensive end in certain situations, the Chiefs have depth, multiplicity and legitimate talent across the defensive line. They passed on a potential reunion with Frank Clark and still haven't brought back Carlos Dunlap, signs that KC is satisfied with their rotation.

Foote: Let's expand on that Karlaftis piece. Not only has he already matched his sack total from last season (six) in nine games, but he's recorded just one less quarterback hit and he's four tackles away from his 2022 total. He has 44 pressures in 435 pass rush snaps — he logged 48 in 729 opportunities last year. That's a pressure rate jump from 6.6 to 10.1, which is quite an improvement. Karlaftis won't turn 23 until April, so the Chiefs banking on him being able to cash in on his potential apparently worked in their favor. This new-and-improved 'Furious George' might be here to stay with a better plan and a bit more flexibility as a defensive end. 

Biggest shortcoming

Brisco: This is more of "something to watch" than a legitimate "shortcoming," but first-round rookie Felix Anudike-Uzomah has only played 126 of the Chiefs' defensive snaps this year, taking 10 or fewer snaps in each of the last four games. Anudike-Uzomah doesn't turn 22 years old until January, and the depth of the d-line has allowed the Chiefs to take it slow with him (and even more slowly with fifth-round rookie BJ Thompson). It would be nice to see Anudike-Uzomah force his way to the field, but his real tests will come in 2024 after spending a year with defensive line coach Joe Cullen, a luxury not often afforded to first-round picks.

Foote: Yeah, it's got to be the involvement — or lack thereof — of the two rookie defensive ends. Thompson basically having a redshirt year was expected, especially considering his athletic profile entering the pre-draft process. Anudike-Uzomah, on the other hand, is an interesting case. The Kansas State product was getting significant playing time in Weeks 1-5 but since Omenihu entered the fold coming off his suspension, that's essentially spelled the end of him having a serious role on defense. The Chiefs would like for their first-round pick to have more of an impact right off the bat, but as you mentioned, it's merely something to watch.

Biggest question(s) remaining this season

Brisco: Sustain, improve, or regress? There’s a path for the D-line to go in any direction after the bye. If Cullen and Co. can continue to lead the development of Karlaftis while Omenihu's role is maximized, all alongside the steady play of Danna, the Chiefs won't need to lean on their developmental ends at all this season. I do wonder how much this group relies on Jones in the interior, but as long as Jones stays healthy and demands the attention of the offensive line, I expect the pass rush to continue to thrive in the back half of the season.

Foote: How legitimate is Danna's perceived improvement? His raw counting stats are nice, surely, as he's logged a half-sack more than last year and has set a career-high mark in tackles already through just nine weeks. His 24 pressures and 17 quarterback hurries are good, but he has some work to do if he's going to replicate the 35 and 25, respectively, he recorded in just 34 additional opportunities in 2022 (471 versus 437). Danna is seeing a lot of double-teams and isn't succeeding against them all that often. The fourth-year man is undoubtedly an ideal rotational player and is playing himself into a long-term deal somewhere, but I'm keeping an eye on the sustainability of what he's doing.

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