Chiefs’ defensive depth is unraveling after painful Seahawks setback

Steve Spagnuolo asks his defensive backs to be able to deliver the hits. Unfortunately for the Kansas City Chiefs secondary, they're the ones taking the hits this preseason.

This offseason has been a particularly difficult one for various defensive backs on the Chiefs roster in terms of health and availability, and the unit absorbed another series of blows on Friday night in the team's second preseason exhibition.

As the second half was nearing its final minutes, the Seahawks were marching on offense when Nazeeh Johnson injured his shoulder. The Chiefs then ushered him into the locker room for further treatment.

The Chiefs' defense lost several important contributors to injury on a miserable Friday in Seattle.

Not only did the Chiefs lose Johnson on the drive, but they also watched linebacker Jack Cochrane leave the game with a knee injury. Both players were ruled out for the rest of the game before halftime.

From there, the Chiefs watched promising third-round rookie cornerback Nohl Williams enter the team's concussion protocol and safety Mike Edwards left the game due to a hamstring injury. Even in the fourth quarter, defensive lineman Felix Anudike-Uzomah was hurt but was able to leave the field on his own.

The state of the secondary is the scariest part of all of this. Johnson profiles as an important backup in the secondary once again, which makes the overall injury frustrations that much more complicated.

Kristian Fulton was signed to be a starter on the boundary, but he's been slow to practice after starting training camp on the Physically Unable to Play list. Watson suffered a concussion earlier in the preseason as well. Eric Scott and Darius Rush were already hurt early in camp and released with an injury designation.

The Chiefs are hoping their starting nucleus of Watson, Fulton, and Trent McDuffie can stay healthy throughout the season, but Johnson will be counted on to be an important contributor on passing downs. Williams was also coming on strong in the preseason, so these injuries cloud the overall picture as the regular season approaches in a few weeks.

Cochrane might not be a starter, but the Chiefs are leaning on him as a primary backup for Nick Bolton and as a core performer on special teams. Cochrane has played in 47 games for the Chiefs over the last three seasons and has become a valuable and dependable piece of the puzzle in the second level.

Edwards was expected to make the team as the fourth safety, but he became even more important when Deon Bush, his primary competition, was lost earlier in the Chiefs' first preseason game with a season-ending torn Achilles.

Further updates are coming, and not all injuries will be equal in severity, but the Chiefs' defensive depth took a massive hit on Friday night with injuries all over the roster. Fans can only hope the concerns are mostly short-term issues with a third and final preseason game coming up.