Steve Spagnuolo Says 'Concerning, Frustrating' Injuries Have Made It Hard to Judge Cornerback Battle

Steve Spagnuolo discussed "concerning, frustrating" injuries that plagued the team throughout training camp and have made the coaching staff's job tougher ahead of roster cuts.

Jul 22, 2024; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo talks with media after training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

With the Kansas City Chiefs' starters unlikely to see the field in the team's preseason finale against the Chicago Bears on Thursday, the Chiefs will complete their preseason preparation for the 2024 season without ever seeing their defense at full-strength. With a variety of injuries impacting the defense throughout training camp and the preseason, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo spoke to the media on Tuesday and acknowledged the unique challenges availability has provided for the reigning back-to-back champions.

"I don't believe we've had the, let's call it our top 11, 12 or 13, whatever that is, I don't think we've had them on the field for one play. That's concerning, frustrating. Now, I did say to them, those things are out of our control. We can't control guys getting hurt. What we can control is our conditioning and being ready to play and all that."

Cornerback Joshua Williams, who had been healthier than most of his peers throughout offseason and preseason activities, was sidelined on Tuesday due to a hamstring issue. Williams has been in competition with Jaylen Watson and Nazeeh Johnson as both players return from their respective injuries and surgeries. Kelvin Joseph seemed to get a long look in camp before also missing some time. Spagnuolo said those factors have made it difficult to evaluate where the group stands now.

"It's making it really difficult to decide which way to go," Spagnuolo said. "We got one more game, some of these guys will play that are still fighting for jobs, but we can't say that there's a starting 'other corner' right now, in all honesty."

Discussing the safety group and the defensive lineup as a whole, Spagnuolo later revisited the issues that come without the "chemistry guys" who provide stability for the unit.

"The chemistry thing, as we sat in here last year, I remember us talking about, when we kind of got it rolling, we were playing pretty good, a lot of it had to do with the chemistry of the guys," Spagnuolo said. "That doesn't just all of a sudden happen after this much time off, and so the concern is, Bryan Cook wasn't here for a week and Justin [Reid]'s been [out] for a while and Nick [Bolton], those are the chemistry guys. We'll have to do it in practice in the next two weeks or whatever to get ready for Baltimore."

Spagnuolo was asked, with cutdown day coming on August 27, if the team has enough data to make their decisions regarding who makes the final cut.

"We don't have much choice," Spagnuolo said. "And we'll have to go with a little bit of past performance and guys with experience, all those other things, but at some point you've got to go with your gut. The heads get together, [general manager] Brett [Veach] will get Andy, myself, the coaches and try to come up with the best 25 or whatever that number is."

Spagnuolo was also asked, in light of the team's newfound depth struggles, if the team would consider adding a veteran cornerback shortly before the start of the regular season.

"I think if you were to talk to Coach Reid or Brett, I think they'd tell you they're always looking," Spagnuolo said. "They've got their eyes on 'em, and typically Brett will come to me and say, 'Can you look at this guy and that guy?' So, I'm sure that'll happen in the next few days."

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