5 players who Chiefs need to be great in 2020

2. Tyrann Mathieu

Safety isn’t the most glamorous position in the NFL these days, but Mathieu is immensely valuable to the Chiefs’ defense. His presence in the secondary helps up cover a ton of issues for Reid and his coaching staff.

Mathieu really should be labeled as a playmaker instead of being classified as a safety. He lines up all over the field for Kansas City depending on the down and distance. He’s the rare defender who can actually hold up at the line of scrimmage and covering receivers on deep patterns.

His versatility is vital for a defense that lacks suitable talent at the cornerback position. To put it kindly, Mathieu’s brilliance props up a few of his teammates who aren’t actually quality starters. Losing him for any stretch of time might cause the house of cards in the Chiefs secondary to come tumbling down.

Much will be written about Kansas City’s need to get better up front in 2020. Those pieces are correct, but don’t overlook the issues in the secondary. The Honey Badger’s brilliant play is distracting a lot of people from the mediocre talent surrounding him.