ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs thrived last season on defense by forcing a lot of turnovers and playing well when their backs were to the goal line.
The Chiefs were so good in those areas that it masked some problems, one of them being that they didn't defend the run well. The Chiefs allowed a generous 4.4 yards per carry, which left them toward the bottom of the league.
It's difficult for a defensive team to consistently win in the red zone or force turnovers. The nature of football suggests those numbers will even out this season.
So the Chiefs need to play better defense on a down-to-down basis, and that starts with getting better against the run -- an area the Chiefs are emphasizing in training camp.
"Our run defense wasn't good," said linebacker Derrick Johnson, who missed the final three games last season because of a torn Achilles tendon. "When I was out there, it wasn't that good, either.
"We're working our butts off. I promise you we'll be better in the run game this year."
The Chiefs in the last few days made a couple of moves aimed at improving the run defense. They traded with the Seattle Seahawks for inside linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, who has impressed the Chiefs to the point where he could become a serious contender for a starting spot.
They also signed a veteran defensive lineman, Roy Miller, who is unlikely to start. But Miller announced after his first practice session Thursday with the Chiefs why his new team was interested in signing him.
"I've been one of the best run-stoppers in the league, whether [people] know it or not," Miller said. "I'm one of the most underrated players.
"You go ask offensive linemen around the league. They know."
The Chiefs were without a couple of their better run defenders, lineman Allen Bailey and linebacker Justin Houston, for more than half of the season last year because of injuries. Both are back now, though defensive lineman Chris Jones isn't practicing after having arthroscopic knee surgery last month.
Even without Jones, the Chiefs have enough run defenders. It's just a matter of making their defense work.
If they can, they would get back to making their opponents one-dimensional, something they did well from 2013-15, when they were annually among the NFL leaders in sacks.
"We've got to put the pressure on ourselves, knowing that Andy [Reid] is going to do his job with the offense and score a little bit, which is great," Johnson said. "That's a great feeling knowing we've got an offensive-minded coach who wants to score every time [he gets] the ball.
"We've just got to do our job a few more times, a few more times getting off the field, and we can win more consistently later in the year."