W
hile a large part of the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive line issues come from the edges, the interior of the line still has its own issues as well, mainly due to a lack of depth at defensive tackle.
Chris Jones registered his third-straight Pro Bowl season after gathering 47 QB hurries, 10 sacks, and 5 batted passes during the 2021 season, per PFF. But outside of him, the Chiefs lack a player that can consistently excel on the field among the other defensive tackles on the roster: Derrick Nnadi, Khalen Saunders, Taylor Stallworth, Tershawn Wharton, and Cortez Broughton.
While all those players can provide quality snaps in a limited role, the team needs an interior defender not-named Chris Jones to play roughly 50% of the defensive snaps at a starter-level caliber.
That’s why one Chiefs analyst has addressed a trade the defending AFC West champions could make midseason in 2022 to help their defensive tackle room.
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Connor: KC Could Trade for DT Daron Payne
Matt Connor of Arrowhead Pride recently brought up the idea of the Chiefs trading for Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne ahead of the 2022 NFL trade deadline.
“For the Chiefs, Payne would be an instant upgrade over anyone across the entire defensive line not named Chris Jones,” Connor wrote on July 1. “As a durable player, Payne played in 17 games last season for the Commanders and racked up 15 quarterback hits, a career-high 27 pressures, and 4.5 sacks. He also played 76 percent of all defensive snaps after playing in 84 percent the year before. In short, he’s productive all around and doesn’t come off the field.”
Some more noteworthy stats from Payne: He was drafted by Washington in the first round (13th overall) in 2018. He has been a full-time starter for three of the four years he’s been in the league, and he’s played in at least 15 games each season since entering the NFL.
Le’Veon Bell to Face Adrian Peterson in Boxing Match
Former Kansas City running back Le’Veon Bell is making headlines again, but this time it’s because he’s matching up against another former NFL player in a different sport.
Bell is set to face former NFL running back and future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson in a heavyweight boxing exhibition on July 30 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA, according to Mike Coppinger of ESPN. The exhibition match will be on the undercard for Social Gloves 2, an event in which Youtubers Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib face off in the main event, per ESPN.
Adrian Peterson and Le’Veon Bell have signed contracts for a heavyweight boxing exhibition on July 30 at t.co/jQOG7qPgUR Arena in Los Angeles, sources tell @MikeCoppinger.
Chiefs Kingdom’s connection to Bell comes from the 2020 season in which he played nine regular season games and one playoff game for Kansas City. He then stated after the 2020 season that he would “never” play for head coach Andy Reid again.
Bell, now 30 years old, began taking up boxing as a way to do cardio during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers. His passion for the sport then grew in 2018 when he stepped away from football for a year.
“I try to find ways to be healthier,” Bell explained to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler in July of 2018 of why he took up boxing. “I want my body to be in great shape so as the season comes closer you’ll start seeing that form to take shape. [Boxing] is just to help with my cardio and my stamina. It’s a little different than football, and I try to stay off my joints in the offseason as much as possible, still get cardio. Instead of cutting and doing a lot of drills, I’ve been doing a lot of boxing training.”
Bell played in the NFL last season, earning reps in five games for the Baltimore Ravens and three for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During his eight seasons in the league, Bell has earned three Pro Bowl nods and been named an All-Pro two times.
Peterson, 37, played three games for the Tennessee Titans and one for the Seattle Seahawks last season. He is currently fifth all-time in career rushing yards in the NFL (14,918), per Pro Football Reference. During his 14 years in the NFL, Peterson earned seven Pro Bowl nods and was named an All-Pro four times.
Bell (-180) is the odds-on favorite to beat Peterson (+140), according to BetOnline.
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Chiefs Could Trade for Former First-Round DT Midseason, Says Analyst