One of the top storylines all offseason long for the Kansas City Chiefs has been the re-shaped defense under new Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and with training camp kicking off later this week, the likes of safety Tyrann Mathieu, defensive end Frank Clark and the rest of the defense will soon have a chance to show off what they can do.
That was the focus of last week's "In the Trenches" podcast episode, which featured Chiefs Reporter BJ Kissel and six-year NFL veteran Nick Leckey breaking down every inch of the defense.
"Our last show was all about the offense, now we're flipping to the other side of the ball," Kissel said. "We're going through all of the intriguing guys at every position group to watch and all of the top storylines."
The duo went on to do just that for more than an hour, examining the interior defensive line, the defensive ends, the linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties on the roster headed into camp.
Additionally, Kissel revealed a defensive back as another potential breakout player to watch this season after giving linebacker Anthony Hitchens the nod in a previous episode.
"This is a guy who I'm really excited to see at training camp," Kissel said. "When Coach Reid was asked about him, he said that he was always around the ball. He's always making plays. He spent a lot of time around Tyrann Mathieu, so I'm excited."
Of course, camp is about so much more than just the household names – it's an opportunity for those on the bubble to earn their place on the team. Leckey discussed exactly that in last week's episode, explaining what it's like to be heading to training camp from the perspective of a player fighting for a roster spot.
"Your main thing is you have to go out there and be in your best shape," Leckey said. "The next thing is you have to be eager. If you're young, you have to be begging to be in on all the special teams plays, you have to be talking to the vets after practice and you have to get in the playbook. If you limit yourself by not knowing the playbook, you're not going to get very far."
Catch all of that and more on last week's "In the Trenches." The episode is available on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and here on Chiefs.com.
