NFL Rumors: Chiefs Thornhill replacement, Odell Beckham Jr. clarifies demands, Titans cutting All-Pro

NFL Rumors: Chiefs move quickly to replace Juan Thornhill with Mike Edwards

One of the potentially highly impactful free agency losses for the Kansas City Chiefs came to fruition at the end of the week with safety Juan Thornhill signing with the Cleveland Browns. Since being drafted in the second round out of Virginia, Thornhill has been a reliable and versatile piece on the back end of Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.

The Chiefs wasted almost no time in finding someone to replace him, though. On Friday, Kansas City inked a deal with former Buccaneers safety and 2019 third-round pick Mike Edwards, as reported by NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

Edwards had a career year statistically with two interceptions and 82 tackles but the advanced metrics saw him take a minor step back after two great years with Tampa Bay. That being said, his overall career does profile as someone who could be a more than adequate — and likely cheaper — replacement for Thornhill.

Both Edwards and Thornhill are a bit better in coverage than against the run but Edwards has proven to be better over the past four seasons when playing downhill than Thornhill. For a defense that really came together at the end of last season and also just added former Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill, they clearly have no interest in taking a step back.