Chiefs Cornerbacks Still Have a Superstar, But Who's Up Next? — KC Chiefs 2024 Positional Preview

Trent McDuffie highlights the Chiefs' cornerback group, but can Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson step up even further after losing L'Jarius Sneed?

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson (35) celebrates with Trent McDuffie (22) after recovering a muffed punt against the San Francisco 49ers in the second half in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs have boasted strong cornerback play under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive backs coach Dave Merritt, but how will the corners shake out in 2024? Trent McDuffie has earned heaps of offseason hype, but L'Jarius Sneed is a member of the Tennessee Titans and Jaylen Watson is starting training camp on the PUP list. Can the Chiefs' cornerbacks thrive without Sneed this season?

Joshua Brisco: McDuffie is deserving of all the praise he's received this offseason and, frankly, he probably should have seen even more in 2023. Sneed was a tremendous weapon for Spagnuolo and gave the Chiefs' defense an extra dynamic unique to Sneed's skillset, but McDuffie was KC's best corner last year too. Still, Sneed's departure creates a massive hole for the rest of the group to fill. I expect Joshua Williams to get the first crack at KC's CB2 spot, especially with Watson starting on the PUP list, but the "starter" distinction doesn't matter much when we know the Chiefs will play with five or more defensive backs on the field more often than not.
I have a McDuffie question and one player I haven't mentioned who could be a wildcard in this unit, but how do you feel about the McDuffie/Williams/Watson group as KC's top trio?

Jordan Foote: Had McDuffie not spent so much time on the outside throughout his career and had success doing it, I'd push back a little bit. With that said, McDuffie did have just as good an argument as Sneed for being the club's top CB on a snap-to-snap basis last season. He'll play at a Pro Bowl level again in 2024. I think I'm with you on Williams – I'd lean toward Watson as a better player but being behind the eight-ball entering camp could add even more fuel to the Williams hype train since he's on the field making an impact. I think I know who you're going to pick as the X-factor, but as far as the top three is concerned, that's still a formidable group. The Chiefs only need one of the latter two to stand out in a good way.

Brisco: Chamarri Conner, come on down! We'll take a closer look at the safety group tomorrow, but Conner appears to be the next candidate to take on a familiar hybrid defensive back role in Spagnuolo's defense. I'm a bit torn on that, in part because I'd be fine with KC keeping McDuffie in the slot on a regular basis, and in part because Conner has a unique value as a do-it-all DB who can keep offenses guessing and I'd hate to see him pigeonholed. Still, that comes from a place of being high on Conner, and if KC's best five DBs are McDuffie, one of Williams/Watson, Conner, Justin Reid, and Bryan Cook, then I'd be glad for Conner to see the field however he can. I'm legitimately conflicted about the group, but for mostly positive reasons.
That rolls into my McDuffie question: In "base" packages with only two cornerbacks, McDuffie and either Watson or Williams will be the Chiefs' outside corners. When the Chiefs need a slot defender, should McDuffie kick into the slot as he did at an elite level last year, or should Spagnuolo keep him on the outside (potentially up against a bigger-name and bigger-bodied receiver) and let Conner primarily have the slot role?

Foote: If I'm Spagnuolo, I think I'm taking a set-it-and-forget-it approach with McDuffie on the outside. Matchups can dictate that on occasion, but in sub-packages, it seems like Conner can truly thrive in the slot and that leaves the team's best cornerback presumably keeping the most difficult assignment. Conner split up his playing time by alignment last season – 113 snaps as a traditional free safety, 109 in the slot, 64 in the box and 17 on the line of scrimmage – so you're right about losing that versatility. Not to thrust too much responsibility on a rookie (or jump to tomorrow's conversation), but safety Jaden Hicks could be the next fourth-round Chiefs safety to shine in a do-it-all role. To me, leaving McDuffie outside has a ripple effect on what's asked of everyone else and helps maximize keeping the Kansas City secondary among the league's best.

Brisco: The top of the depth chart rightfully demanded the bulk of our conversation, but the depth of the group is also worth watching. With Spagnuolo and Merritt's track record of developing corners, it's more than just organizational depth at the back end. Nazeeh Johnson, a seventh-round pick in 2022, was getting an increased workload in training camp last year before tearing his ACL. Nic Jones, a 2023 seventh-rounder, played in nine games during his rookie season, predominantly as one of the Chiefs' reliable special-teamers. 2024 sixth-round pick Kamal Hadden, 2023 UDFA Ekow Boye-Doe and 2021 Dallas Cowboys second-round pick Kelvin Joseph will all have a legitimate chance to see the field if they can earn a roster spot during training camp.

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