Figuring Out the Chiefs' Missing Piece

Josh Edwards is a sports writer for CBS Sports, and after taking a look at how each team is constructed, he's put together a list of the biggest roster needs for each team in the NFL. For the Chiefs, he identified their biggest need to be better defensive tackle play.

"Kansas City finally experienced turnover at one of its most consistent positions (defensive tackle) in recent years. They countered that by drafting Omarr Norman-Lott in the second round, but the team is below average in run defense."Wide receiver play has been poor, but the return of Rashee Rice should allow the pieces to fall into place", said Edwards.

Chris Jones was named the Chiefs' most impactful player besides Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs have long relied on his presence in the interior defensive line to ruin opposing teams' game plans and be a game-wrecker all on himself.

However, Jones isn't getting any younger, and the Chiefs haven't done a good job at giving him a running mate or successor to pass the torch. Jerry Tillery and Derrick Nnadi are serviceable as backups, but they've yet to acquire a player who can complement Jones.

The Chiefs' defense is in the bottom ten of the NFL in rushing yards allowed, while simultaneously being near the bottom of the league when it comes to their own rushing yards. That's a recipe for disaster if a team's able to take control of the pace of a game and dominate the time of possession.

Omarr Norman-Lott hasn't made that much of an impact so far in his rookie year, but he has recorded a sack, which is encouraging. The Chiefs' defense plays a lot better when they can rely on their defensive front to make things uncomfortable on the quarterback, and their defensive backs can watch his eyes and make plays on the ball.

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