30 best moves made during the 2019 NFL offseason

24. Kansas City Chiefs sign Tyrann Mathieu

As is the case for most free agency signings, the Kansas City Chiefs did have to slightly overpay for the services of safety Tyrann Mathieu. “The Honey Badger” hit the open market for the second season in a row, after playing just one year with the Houston Texans.

Originally drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, he was released after five seasons before landing in Houston on a one-year, $7 million deal in 2018.

He had a good campaign with the Texans, tying his career high with 89 tackles, while also recording two interceptions and breaking up eight passes. He then doubled his annual salary, as the Chiefs paid him an average of $14 million over three seasons.

The reason they felt they needed him so desperately was due to their inability to make any stops on defense. Kansas City was the talk of the NFL, as they were No. 1 in yardage with 425.6 yards per game. As good as the Chiefs were on offense in this area, they were nearly just as bad on defense, as they finished 31st in the league after surrendering 405.5 yards per contest.

They were especially bad in the passing game, giving up 273.4 yards per game, which was worse than all teams except one. Because of that, the Chiefs went out and landed Mathieu, who is able to play both as a deep safety, as well as in the slot when needed. He’s also joined by rookie Juan Thornhill from Virginia, which should vastly improve the Kansas City secondary.