The Kansas City Chiefs will soon put on the pads in St. Joseph, Missouri for the team's annual training camp .
When that happens, the defensive side of the ball will become a greater focus than it has been to this point. Last season, the defense helped carry the team to Super Bowl LVIII, but will they be able to replicate that success in 2024? In order to accomplish their goal of three consecutive Super Bowl titles, they'll need some new blood to emerge as contributors.
Here's a look at five players on the defensive side of the ball who could be poised to break out in 2024.
DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah
After a dismal rookie campaign, Chiefs Kingdom would welcome a breakout for the former first-round draft pick Anudike-Uzomah. He's taken all the right steps this offseason to ensure that he has a better 2024, starting with linking up with teammate George Karlaftis and Chiefs legend Tamba Hali for training. He's shown his growth on the practice field according to Steve Spagnuolo . The team has also shown some measure of confidence in Anudike-Uzomah development path being that they've not invested much in the position group this offseason, outside of bringing back a glue guy like Mike Danna.
CB Nazeeh Johnson
Johnson was on track to start opposite L'Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie in the team's nickel defense last season. An unfortunately timed knee injury in training camp ended his season prematurely, but he's officially back on the field and cleared for team drills. He'll have some tough competition with Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, Nic Jones, Kelvin Joseph and Kamal Hadden all getting opportunities as well. I think the positional flexibility Johnson adds playing alongside McDuffie — to play both nickel and outside corner — adds some more value for the former seventh-round pick that others simply don't have.
DT Neil Farrell Jr.
This one might be flying under the radar, especially given the team's continued desire to strengthen this position group. Farrell is entering his second year in the system and he's been hard at work this offseason after playing sparingly in 2023. He's notably trimmed down and in better shape than he was when he arrived in trade from Las Vegas last year . It's tough to truly "breakout" as an interior defensive lineman, when your game is better-suited toward stopping the run. However, if Farrell can crack the rotation in Kansas City, it'd be a huge win for a team that has been lacking young interior defensive line talent.
S Bryan Cook
It's safe to say that Cook was on his way to a breakout campaign last season, but that was cut short by an ankle injury in Week 13. He's been cleared to return to practice and while he's feeling the pressure, he appears to be ready to rise to the challenge . He's looked a bit quicker in the initial looks during mandatory minicamp, but the true test will be how he looks and plays during training camp and the preseason. What would a breakout season look like for Cook? Continuing to build on the ball production (one interception, two fumble recoveries) from a season ago would be a good start.
LB Cam Jones
With Willie Gay Jr. leaving to join the New Orleans Saints in free agency, there is an opening in the linebacker rotation for Kansas City. Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill and Leo Chenal will likely be the top guys on the field in base defense, but look for Jones to potentially carve out a role as a rotational player in sub packages. He excelled late last season against the Los Angeles Chargers , putting up a performance where he was making plays all over the field. He was also one of the better special teams players for Dave Toub last season.
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