Analysts Vote on Chiefs’ Most Improved Player at Bye Week

Getty Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders warms up before a game in 2020.

It’s the bye week in Chiefs Kingdom and with the scheduled off-time falling at a centralized point like Week 8, many are looking at this as a midway juncture for Kansas City.

The Chiefs entered the 2022 season with more uncertainty than ever under an Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes-led roster. They also had the most challenging strength of schedule before the campaign began.

Having said all that, KC finds itself in familiar territory ranked first in the AFC West with a 5-2 record. Their only losses so far came on the road in Indianapolis — a game they should have won — and at Arrowhead against the Buffalo Bills. The latter is the only franchise that the Chiefs trail inside the conference.

Chiefs Analysts Vote on ‘Most Improved Player’ in 2022

With halfway points comes a sort of need to recap, as we did above to some extent. Arrowhead Pride shared in that sentiment, holding a vote amongst the members of their staff called the “bye week awards,” which resembles a midseason honors discussion.

The first edition of this batch of bye-week articles tackled the question of the Chiefs’ most improved player so far. 11 contributors voted and a clear winner was determined — fourth-year defensive tackle Khalen Saunders.

“At the beginning of training camp, there was a fair amount of speculation that Khalen Saunders might be a roster casualty,” writer Price Carter noted. “The Kansas City Chiefs brought back defensive tackle Derek Nnadi and signed Taylor Stallworth and Danny Shelton as competition as well. Additionally, having Chris Jones playing full-time on the inside again created a scenario in which Saunders could be the odd man out. After a strong preseason performance, Saunders made the roster. Now, seven games into the season, it’s easy to say Saunders is the second-best interior lineman the Chiefs have.”

It really has been quite the resurgence for the former third-round selection of the 2019 class. Saunders only has half a sack so far but his presence has been felt whenever he’s on the field.

In a limited role, the D-tackle has been well-rounded with seven quarterback pressures and eight key defensive stops according to Pro Football Focus. On the flip side, he’s only missed one tackle with an okay average depth of tackle of 3.2 yards.

“This season, [Saunders has] been able to consistently make impact plays in the run, fighting off double teams while remaining gap-sound,” Carter continued later. “Another element that Saunders has added this season is his ability to get to the ball carrier and finish the tackle.”

As the Arrowhead Pride representative stated above, Saunders has clearly outplayed both Nnadi and Stallworth, potentially solidifying his role on this roster during a walk year.

“The Chiefs getting long-term development out of later-round players such as Saunders has been crucial to their defensive success,” concluded Carter. “If the Chiefs can continue to improve their own talent on their roster, the future will remain bright for the Chiefs’ defense.”

Honorable Mention Vote-Getters From Arrowhead Pride

Saunders received five out of the 11 votes but four more Kansas City players joined him in the most improved conversation. Those members of the organization were:

• Linebacker Darius Harris, two votes.
• Safety Juan Thornhill, two votes.
• Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, one vote.
• Punter Tommy Townsend, one vote.

It’s hard to argue with any of these selections, although going with the punter always feels a bit bland.

Harris spelled Willie Gay Jr. during his four-game suspension and held his own over that span of games. Thornhill finally looks healthy again, joining newcomer Justin Reid to make a formidable safety pairing. Sneed has become the ultimate weapon in this Steve Spagnuolo defense, whether his coordinator needs a well-timed blitz or some tight man coverage against the opposition’s top target.

And then there’s Townsend who’s just sending punts into oblivion. The specialist netted a 58-yard fair catch against the Bills and was promptly drug-tested for performance enhancers after the game. Let’s just say the timing was not a coincidence.