The Kansas City Chiefs welcomed one new starting safety ahead of the 2022 season and with Juan Thornhill no longer being a part of the picture, the same trend is slated to apply to Bryan Cook this time around.
A year ago, Cook was a second-round pick from Cincinnati and a projected depth piece as Kansas City looked to the likes of Thornhill and free agent pickup Justin Reid to man the back end of Steve Spagnuolo's defense. After a solid rookie year that featured 33 tackles, two passes broken up and a sack in just a 32% snap share on defense, Cook is now the man filling Thornhill's shoes. He's doing a stellar job at it during training camp, and his leadership qualities are shining through.
Following Tuesday's practice, Spagnuolo praised Cook and referred to him as a quarterback for Kansas City's defense this year.
"Bryan's really going to become the quarterback of the defense," Spagnuolo said. "And then (linebacker) Nick (Bolton), but especially the quarterback of the back end. One good thing about Bryan is that he's always looking for feedback. Like he came in the other day wanting to do some more drills. We saw that when we were looking at him out of Cincinnati. He's a worker. He loves football, passionate about football, and we're banking on him in that regard."
Set to turn 24 on the same day the Chiefs open the 2023 regular season against the Detroit Lions, Cook is expected to work alongside Reid and form a sturdy safety tandem while offseason signing Mike Edwards plays his old role as safety No. 3. Veteran Deon Bush and rookie Chamarri Conner also deserve to have their names mentioned in the safety conversation, although their involvement is projected as more special teams-based assuming they make the team. Cook is seeing the biggest jump in responsibility, and for good reason. According to Bolton, Cook's communication is what stands out.
"B-Cook, man, is a vocal guy," Bolton said. "I mentioned earlier that when he says something, he might be completely wrong but he makes you believe he's 100% right. More times than not, he's 100% right. Getting guys lined up, communicating and making sure everyone's on the same page. If he sees something, he'll help me out or vice versa, he communicates that out loud and just [has] open communication between everybody on the football field. I know having him will make us a great football team."
According to Pro Football Focus, Cook lined up 219 times as a free safety in 2022. That alignment was followed by 90 reps in the box, 25 in the slot and just a small handful in any other spot on the field. He posted a mixed bag of results overall, grading out as a middle-of-the-pack safety when compared to his league-wide peers who played at least 300 snaps on defense this past season. There's certainly nothing wrong with that level of play for a first-year player, although Kansas City is counting on him to become more consistent and proficient in 2023.
Part of that improvement usually comes with familiarity, which is a byproduct of extended reps and exquisite preparation. Jaylen Watson, now a second-year Chiefs defensive back and taken in the same draft class as Cook, said his teammate was constantly studying as a rookie. With a better understanding of Spagnuolo's defense and now an increased role to match, things are aligning for Cook in his second career training camp.
"Bryan has always been a person that's always been in the playbook and knows what he's doing back there," Watson said. "He stayed loud and confident last year behind Juan as well so we knew if he went down, Cook would be the next man ready. He's just continuing to do that this year. He's being a leader, putting us in the right positions and he's doing a great job."
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