The Chiefs are on track to take care of one of their own.
The team is closing in on a one-year deal with unrestricted free-agent safety Daniel Sorensen, a source familiar with the situation told The Star Monday.
Keeping Sorensen in the fold makes sense given what he means to the Chiefs’ defensive scheme.
A versatile defender capable of playing safety and performing a hybrid safety role, too, Sorensen started 10 straight games from Weeks 6-15 last season. He produced a team-high 91 tackles on 879 defensive snaps during the regular season, adding three interceptions, including a pick-six against the Denver Broncos in Week 7. He also defended on five passes.
Sorensen, who turned 31 on March 5, proved to be highly durable in 2020, too, playing 100 percent of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps from Weeks 9-15 before resting in the season finale. The BYU product also remained a core special-teams contributor in 2020, recording 170 snaps.
Since joining the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2014, the 6-foot-2, 208-pound Sorensen has appeared in 94 games with 32 starts.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid often affectionately refers to Sorensen as “Dirty Dan” — a nod to the safety’s willingness to perform other duties on the field outside of his natural position.
He is also known for making clutch plays. During the 2019-20 playoffs, his forced fumble on special teams energized a Chiefs comeback against the Houston Texans. He forced another fumble in the 2020-21 AFC Divisional Round against the Cleveland Browns.
Once the deal is finished, Sorensen will join offensive lineman Mike Remmers and defensive end Taco Charlton as unrestricted free agents from the past season’s roster who are returning to Kansas City.
And the Chiefs probably aren’t finished adding pieces to their roster for this fall. They currently have $21,672,746 in available salary cap space, according to figures provided by the NFL Players Association.
