The Kansas City Chiefs reloaded on the defensive side of the ball in 2022, adding speed and youth to an already talented core of players.
One of the biggest additions made in free agency was the team’s procurement of former Houston Texans S Justin Reid. He’s since taken a leadership role in the defensive secondary, helping to mentor a number of the young players on the team. Heading into the Week 1 matchup against the Cardinals, Reid says he feels very at home within the Chiefs’ defense.
“Yeah, absolutely. I mean it’s really settled in at this point,” Reid said. “I’m bleeding red and gold, so I can’t wait to get out on the field. We’ve been building towards this. I think training camp (has) been tremendous for us to come together as a team. (We) built chemistry, especially with all the new faces including myself and now it’s time to write our story.”
What will that story look like for the 2022 defense? If Reid has anything to say about it, it’ll be R-rated due to strong, brutal and graphic violence.
“I want every week when the opposing offense turns on our film, I want them to know that they’re going to get punched in the mouth,” Reid said. “I want it to be physical. I want it to be aggressive. I want it to have an attitude and edge to the way that we play. And I want those plays to be explosive on our side of the ball.”
What Reid has seen from the defense so far during training camp and the preseason has been encouraging in terms of that type of defensive identity. Now, they simply have to go out and prove that they’re about that style of play in Week 1 and that they can sustain it through an entire 17-game regular season.
“Yeah, well preseason was encouraging on the 12 plays the defense and the offense had got but that is preseason,” Reid said. “Now we get to play some real NFL football where everybody’s a starter. I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen in practice, I’m encouraged about all the work that’s been put in so far. We got everything that we need right here on this team to go the distance. It’s about putting that into effect and not just saying it but going out and doing it.”
