We are 64 days away from the Kansas City Chiefs‘ season-opening game against the Denver Broncos on “Monday Night Football” in Week 1.
The No. 64 jersey was going to be worn by former Chiefs offensive tackle Wanya Morris before he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons this summer.
As a Super Bowl champion, he’s among this group, but the No. 64 was originally donned by a league champion as well:
The top No. 64s in franchise history
Curt Merz (1962 – 1968)
Merz won two AFL championships with the franchise, the first as a defensive end on the Dallas Texans, then as a right
guard on the 1966 Chiefs, who lost to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I.
Billy Krisher (1960 – 1961)
Rudy Niswanger (2006 – 2010)
The best name of the group: Eric Kush (2013)
64: Tackles by Jaylen Watson last season, the most of the cornerbacks
It remains to be seen how much the Chiefs’ secondary will miss Los Angeles Rams cornerbacks Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie, who led the team’s cornerbacks in tackles last season with 64 and 63, respectively. Those marks were the fifth and sixth-highest totals on the team.
Watson used physicality to succeed in Kansas City, whether it was effective press-man coverage or sound tackling on the perimeter against runs off the edge. In 2025, Watson missed tackles at a rate of 5.8% according to Pro Football Focus. Only linebacker Drue Tranquill (3.7%) and safety Bryan Cook (5.6%) had lower rates among the defense.
This year’s top pick has a high standard to meet, but rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane has more to focus on than pass coverage to fill the shoes of Watson on the outside. It will also be important to evaluate the tackling of the other cornerbacks on the roster during the preseason, remembering how essential that skills is to starrting at cornerback in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme.
