The Kansas City Chiefs are a good defensive team, and thank goodness for that. While the offense struggled at times in 2024, even with future Hall of Famer Patrick Mahomes leading the way, the defense was good enough to get the team back to the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles were better in that game, sure, but 30 teams were probably still jealous of the Chiefs’ involvement.
Kansas City could use some help at the safety position, though. Jaden Hicks was quite good in 2024, but Bryan Cook was not great in coverage. The Chiefs needed to add a veteran who could immediately step in, if required.
On Thursday, KC made another move in free agency by bringing back a former player. Safety Mike Edwards, who was with the Chiefs when the team won the Super Bowl in the 2023 season, is leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for KC on a one-year deal. This is the second time in his career that he has made that same move.
Kansas City Chiefs bring back safety Mike Edwards
Edwards should not be expected to start for the Chiefs, but he will be a valuable backup if Cook falters. When he was with Kansas City in 2023, he mostly played free safety, but throughout his career, he has lined up in many places. He can easily adjust to whatever is needed.
However, he does need to fix some issues. He can be a bit of a mess in terms of tackling. Safeties, of course, need to help in run support, which means stuffing running backs when the chance presents itself. Edwards was not credited with any missed tackles last season when he played for the Bucs and the Buffalo Bills, but in seasons prior, he whiffed on at least 16 percent of his attempts.
He is also a bit inconsistent in coverage. His career quarterback rating allowed is 87.1, but in seemingly every other season over the last four years, he has not been good with a QBR allowed of 116.6 or higher. Maybe none of that matters, though, as he proved to be a good fit with KC in 2023.
This means he likely will be again. In 2023, he had a QBR allowed of only 64.7 and had a career-high six passes broken up. He could end up taking over for Cook, if needed. Hopefully, Edwards will finish his second season with the Chiefs the same way he did his first: with a Super Bowl ring.
