Kansas City Chiefs 2023 Roster Preview: Cornerbacks Entering Training Camp

Kansas City's cornerback room has a massive opportunity to prove its legitimacy in 2023.

Jan 29, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson (35) reacts after making an interception against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second quarter of the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

A staple of the past half-decade for the Kansas City Chiefs has been their financial investment, or lack thereof, in the cornerback position. The 2022 offseason was merely a continuation of that process.

In conjunction with allowing Charvarius Ward to leave via free agency, Kansas City added three rookie cornerbacks into the fold in the 2022 NFL Draft. The trio of Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson exceeded expectations in year No. 1 on the job despite dealing with plenty of adversity. Combined with L'Jarius Sneed, the top four seemingly solidified a core that will be put to the test this coming season. 

As 2023 Chiefs training camp comes into focus, Arrowhead Report will be previewing each of the team's position groups. This precedes a roster projection once training camp is in full swing, allowing for in-depth analysis and observations of the roster general manager Brett Veach has put together. The series continues with cornerbacks.

The starters: L'Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie

Sneed has every reason to play the best football of his career, as he's coming off a 108-tackle 2022 campaign and is entering the final season of his rookie deal. It's a contract year for the Chiefs' Swiss Army knife, so he'll be extra motivated to stay healthy and perform at a high level. McDuffie, who was criticized by some entering his rookie season due to his smaller stature, thrived in just about every situation last year once he got back on the field following an injury. He's a borderline blue-chip player, and he'll work with Sneed to form a potentially lethal one-two punch at cornerback. 

The backups: Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson

Williams and Watson, fourth- and seventh-round picks by Kansas City, had an interesting dynamic as rookies. To begin the year, Watson dominated the snap share between them and played mostly well. In the middle of the season, however, it was Williams who saw percentages of 50, 66, 100 and 92 in Weeks 9-12. Down the stretch, Watson resumed his higher rank on the depth chart and perhaps earned more trust from defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Counting on both players to display linear progression as sophomores is risky business but if one of them can do so, the Chiefs should be fine. If both do, the franchise is in business now and later. 

The intriguing pieces: Dicaprio Bootle, Nic Jones, Ekow Boye-Doe, Kahlef Hailassie, Lamar Jackson, Isaiah Norman and Reese Taylor

Bootle has hung around the Chiefs organization for quite some time now, but his days on the roster bubble may be numbered if he can't overcome the sheer volume of others competing for a place at the end of the depth chart. Jones and Boye-Doe, a seventh-round pick and an undrafted free agent signing, have the most buzz behind Bootle. Outside of them, Hailassie is an interesting practice squad hopeful due to his athletic profile.

Normal and Taylor are rookie camp bodies with upside, although they are likely not much more than that for Kansas City's purposes in 2023. Jackson, still young in his own right at 25 years of age, has already logged regular-season snaps for three different NFL clubs. While he hasn't been talked about much this offseason, his experience could be a plus in the eyes of the front office and/or coaching staff as camp gets more into swing. 

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