The Chiefs remade their cornerback room, and now it's camp's most open competition
Kansas City traded Trent McDuffie, lost Jaylen Watson to the Rams, drafted Mansoor Delane sixth overall, and brought L'Jarius Sneed back. Six corners are now fighting for jobs, and only one starting spot looks settled.
The Chiefs blew up their cornerback room this offseason and are only now finding out what they built. Days before free agency, Kansas City traded two-time All-Pro Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams for four picks, then watched starter Jaylen Watson follow him to Los Angeles. What is left is the most open position battle on the roster heading into training camp, with six corners competing and just one starting job that looks anywhere close to spoken for.
How did the room get torn down and rebuilt?
It happened fast. The Chiefs sent McDuffie to the Rams for a haul that included the No. 29 overall pick, and Watson, the man who had started opposite him, signed with the Rams as well. So Kansas City turned around and traded up to take LSU's Mansoor Delane sixth overall, then added Oregon's Jadon Canady in the fourth round. In June the front office brought back a familiar face, signing L'Jarius Sneed to a one-year deal after his two seasons in Tennessee. In a single offseason the Chiefs went from a settled, McDuffie-anchored group to a room where almost nobody's role is locked in. It is the payoff, and the risk, of that overhaul now playing out in real time.
Why is Mansoor Delane the one sure thing?
Delane is the reason the Chiefs traded up, and the tape backed the price. At LSU last season he recorded two interceptions and 13 pass breakups while allowing no touchdowns in coverage and drawing no penalties, earning unanimous All-American honors. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said Delane 'jumped out on tape' and that the staff 'all felt like he was the top corner in this class,' comparing the evaluation to McDuffie's back in 2022. Delane himself leans on the mental side, saying he tries to 'understand my alignment and my splits to help give me an advantage before the play even happens.' He is expected to claim one outside starting spot from day one. Everything else is up for grabs.
Who is fighting for the other jobs?
The second outside spot pits second-year man Nohl Williams against veteran Kristian Fulton. Williams tied McDuffie for the team lead with seven pass breakups as a rookie while adding 37 tackles and a sack, and he sees the churn as a door opening. 'It gives me an opportunity to step up and try to fill their shoes,' he said. In the slot, longest-tenured corner Chris Roland-Wallace is favored over Canady largely because he already knows the scheme, though Canady arrives with a strong résumé after leading FBS in yards per attempt allowed at 2.4. Roland-Wallace posted an interception and three pass breakups on just a 30 percent snap share last year, so the reps are there to earn.
Where does L'Jarius Sneed fit into all of this?
Sneed is the wild card and, for Spagnuolo, potentially the most valuable piece. He racked up 10 interceptions in his first Kansas City stint from 2020 to 2023 and helped win back-to-back Super Bowls, and the plan is to use him as a chess piece rather than a fixed starter, rotating between the perimeter, the nickel, and even a third safety look. The caveat is health. Sneed has played just 12 games over the past two seasons because of quad injuries, so how much he can handle is a genuine question. He is not worried about the noise, posting on Instagram about his training that 'this s--- is going to pay off, too, y'all.' With Patrick Mahomes locked in on a reworked deal through 2033, the Chiefs are betting a versatile, rebuilt secondary keeps their window wide open.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: How Chiefs' cornerback competition became camp's top battle
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