Chamarri Conner Makes 2024 All-Breakout Team List

An article from Pro Football Focus believes Conner is in for an impact sophomore campaign in 2024.

Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Kansas City Chiefs safety Chamarri Conner (27) tackles New England Patriots wide receiver Jalen Reagor (83) during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

In recent seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs have had plenty of breakout players emerge in the secondary. Whether it be L'Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie or someone else, there's always been a contributor who rose above and helped play a major role on the back end of Steve Spagnuolo's defense.

Could the 2024 version of that player be safety Chamarri Conner? Pro Football Focus is predicting it.

Conner made the outlet's 2024 All-Breakout Team, which features names like Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis and New Orleans Saints wideout Rashid Shaheed. Conner occupies one of the two safety spots, though, with Gordon McGuinness citing his 2023 late-season performance as why.

"Conner was on the field for 20 or more snaps every week from Week 14 through the Super Bowl," McGuinness wrote. "He finished his rookie season with a 78.4 PFF coverage grade, ranking 13th at the position, and saw time both at safety and in the slot."

Appearing in all 17 regular-season games last season, Conner recorded 36 tackles (two for loss) as a rookie. In those outings, he had one pass broken up and an interception. After Bryan Cook suffered an ankle injury in Week 13, Conner then saw his snap counts increase and began picking up the defense faster.

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In December, defensive backs coach Dave Merritt praised Conner's growth.

"Chamarri is, number one, a quiet young man, but at the same time, he has some bite to him," Merritt said. "One day, I remember talking to him, and I made a comment and he made a little mumble up under his breath and I said, 'What's that? What did you say?' He repeated it, which is good because a lot of time, a child would be like, 'Nothing, nothing.' He repeated it.

"But he is a young man who has been playing multiple roles for us, I'm talking from safety, free and strong, to nickel, to dime. He's probably the only rookie that I've ever had that has played four different positions, because that is what he is doing. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I've had another guy that has done that. A super smart young man, quiet, but at the same time, like I said, he has some bite to him. He's developing, he's growing where we would like him to grow."

During Kansas City's playoff run to Super Bowl LVIII, Conner played 162 combined defensive snaps while remaining a core special teams piece. His blend of versatility and athleticism was what drew the Chiefs to him in the 2023 NFL Draft, ultimately making him a fourth-round pick. Now, the pressure is on to have an even better encore performance.

With Sneed out of town, it's possible that McDuffie transitions to more of a full-time boundary role at cornerback. If that's indeed the case, expect Conner's name to be on a short list of candidates to serve as the Chiefs' 2024 nickel cornerback. That would give him plenty of opportunities to showcase his talents and also reflect a ton of trust from the coaching staff.

Inside the building, Conner has a great deal of believers. It appears that externally, that's becoming the case as well.

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