We haven't talked much about Chiefs NT Shaun Smith. Signed over the offseason, Smith is expected to compete for time at nose tackle. Considering the Chiefs had NT Derek Lokey running with the first team, it's safe to say they're willing to try a lot of different things at that spot.
Smith had his best year as a pro under Romeo Crennel while with the Browns in 2007. Crennel is a former defensive line coach so the fact that he's now the defensive coordinator could bode well for Smith.
Chiefs head coach Todd Haley spoke briefly today about Smith and what type of person he is.
"He’s an interesting character – a little different than a lot of guys that we have around here, as I’m sure you’ve all gotten to see over the past couple weeks," Haley said. "He’ll say what he thinks most of the time, but he livens things up to say the least."
Haley and Smith were together in Dallas for a little while so he was aware of his personality.
He's a guy you see smiling quite a bit around the facility. He seems to be joking around and meshing with the rest of the team, which is a good sign.
The next step will be taking away the nose tackle job from Ron Edwards. If he is able to do so, that would be a big change for the Chiefs defense. The nose tackle is arguably the most important position in this defense so this is a situation we'll be revisiting throughout the offseason and training camp.