X Factor: Why Kansas City Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie is 'Too Good at Everything'

The Kansas City Chiefs' defensive backfield will revolve around cornerback Trent McDuffie in 2024, but KC still has major questions to answer about how McDuffie will be utilized.

Aug 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) warms up against the Chicago Bears prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / denny medley-usa today sports

With the start of the 2024 NFL season just around the corner, Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie is back in the spotlight. McDuffie was often the topic of offseason conversations this summer, ranging from his status as a "dark-horse" Defensive Player of the Year candidate to his ranking among the league's elite corners. Now, another analyst has highlighted McDuffie's status in determining how far KC's defense can go this year.

Ben Solak of ESPN selected his choice of "X factors" for all 32 NFL teams and named the much-discussed McDuffie as the Chiefs' X factor. After acknowledging that McDuffie is likely the clear-cut "'best' player on this list," Solak explained why the rising star brings a unique "problem" to the Chiefs' defense after KC traded away fellow cornerback L'Jarius Sneed this offseason.

"Here's the problem with McDuffie: He's too good at everything," Solak writes. "His prowess as a slot corner allowed the Chiefs to play Sneed outside from [sic] much of last season. From that nickel spot, McDuffie could cover or blitz or defend the run or take on a block or swing to deep safety, and he did it all with aplomb. But ideally, when a corner as talented as Sneed leaves so many snaps on the outside and a team has such a talented cover man in McDuffie on the roster, it bumps him outside and forgets about it."

Solak hones in on a major preseason debate about the Chiefs' secondary in 2024. Should McDuffie spend more time on the boundary after the departure of Sneed, or should he continue to slide into the slot where he provides so much of his aforementioned versatility to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo? Solak continues:

"But we saw McDuffie primarily play outside corner (75% of his snaps) in 2022, and while he was still good, he wasn't nearly as impactful as when he played in the slot last season. Ideally, the Chiefs get good enough play at outside corner from Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson to leave McDuffie in the slot in nickel and dime sets, but the team also has Justin Reid and Chamarri Conner, both of whom can play over the slot and push McDuffie outside. The secondary universe in Kansas City revolves around McDuffie, and he'll be put in different positions each week depending on the offense the Chiefs are facing. If the defense is that heliocentric, McDuffie indeed better be a star."

While Spagnuolo has repeatedly noted that the Chiefs haven't been able to get a fully healthy cornerback battle this summer, Williams and Watson still project to be KC's top non-McDuffie cornerbacks when the season begins on Thursday night. The team's safety depth, as Solak mentioned, should also play into their ability to provide some unique answers in a complex secondary.

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