Chiefs DBs Coach Dave Merritt Discusses Trent McDuffie's Hot Start, State of KC's Cornerback Battles

Trent McDuffie is the clear star of the Kansas City Chiefs' cornerback room, but where do Jaylen Watson, Nazeeh Johnson and Joshua Williams fit?

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) and Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) collide in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 2 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. The Chiefs took a 26-25 win with a go-ahead field goal as time expired. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs' cornerback room earned plenty of offseason discussion following the team's decision to trade away L'Jarius Sneed instead of signing Sneed to a long-term deal in the spring. While Trent McDuffie's elite play to begin his third NFL season should be no surprise, the rest of the depth chart provided more questions than answers throughout training camp and the preseason.

In Week 1, 2022 seventh-round pick Jaylen Watson played 96% of the Chiefs' defensive snaps, showing that the team would give him the first crack at the No. 2 corner job. After playing 95% of the snaps in Week 2, the job appears to be his for the time being. On Thursday, Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt discussed the cornerback room and Watson's spot in the starting lineup.

"Jaylen has done a good job for us," Merritt said. "You know, when he had the last preseason game, and he didn't play so well, that was a little digression for him, but since then, he refocused, he got back to the Jaylen Watson that we thought he would become, and so, hopefully he will continue to ascend and going in the direction that he's currently going in."

As Merritt referenced, Watson played late into the Chiefs' final preseason game and didn't play well as he got back up to speed following offseason surgery and rehab. Now, with time to "refocus," the next battle available appears to be for KC's third cornerback position.

While 2022 fourth-round pick Joshua Williams was healthy through the Chiefs' offseason and preseason activities, he's behind Watson in KC's current rotation. As an interesting note in Week 2, another 2022 seventh-rounder, cornerback Nazeeh Johnson, took 22 defensive snaps to Williams's six. On Thursday, Merritt discussed what Johnson brings to the team after suffering an injury in training camp in 2023 that knocked him out for his second season.

"There's not a better human being in that locker room, in my opinion, than Nazeeh Johnson," Merritt said. "He's always positive, he's always smiling. 'Brotha-man' is his word. 'What's up, brotha-man?' Nazeeh is one of those guys, to be able to get him going and playing in some of his first-time NFL games. If you think about it, he’s been a special teamer, and when I say playing, I mean playing the corner position. Nazeeh is doing a great job for us, and he’s going to continue to learn. He had the touchdown that he gave up the other day in the red zone, but he'll learn from that. He's just a great young man who we're happy [is] part of the fab five, that he's one of the fifth pieces of that puzzle that's stepping up for us."

The "fab five" Merritt references includes the five defensive backs KC selected in the 2022 NFL Draft: McDuffie, safety Bryan Cook, Williams, Watson and Johnson.

Trent McDuffie just gave the BEST QUOTE of the season 😮@ByNateTaylor @jbbrisco @RealMNchiefsfan @UnderdogFantasy #UDPartner pic.twitter.com/cJRiNuGVOc

— KC Sports Network (@KCSportsNetwork) September 19, 2024

Back to the Chiefs' top corner, Merritt was asked what has impressed him most about McDuffie's performance so far this season.

"His ability to be calm, no matter where we put him on the defense," Merritt said. "Whether he's going to the corner position, whether he's sliding into the nickel position, just his ability to be able to move around, because last year he didn't have to necessarily travel around as much. He's just a good guy that you can talk to about, 'Hey, this is what we would like to do.' Whether it's bunch, stacks, whether it's a particular wide receiver, and Trent just never bats an eye."

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