3 moves that got the Kansas City Chiefs to Super Bowl 57

1. Signing Justin Reid in free agency

The Chiefs’ first signing of last year’s free agency was the young and talented safety Justin Reid. And so the changing of the guard commenced.

At the time, veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu was still riding on the coattails of that 2019 Super Bowl victory, and Mathieu may have thought that his contributions back then made him untouchable now. Such was not the case as it became apparent the Chiefs were ushering in a new 25-and-under era to supplement Mahomes.

On paper, Justin Reid posed as a no-brainer option to fill Mathieu’s shoes — after spending the first four productive years of his career on the Houston Texans, he came to Kansas City with an especially bright future.

In practice, Reid got a solid first Chiefs’ campaign in the books and has the potential to be the face of the defense for many years to come. In 2021, the Chiefs’ defense lost its edge a little bit and lacked the physicality and bullishness that other playoff-contending rosters had.

Compared to the aging Mathieu, Reid embodied that scrappy and hungry kind of defender who helped clean up messes and run a tight backfield, and he’s played nearly 100 percent of defensive snaps in the postseason.

Reid’s still looking for his first interception in Kansas City, but we’re sure he’ll get it soon. Maybe as soon as the Super Bowl.