Getty Tennessee Titans cornerback Janoris Jenkins (#20).
The Kansas City Chiefs’ young secondary has earned quite a bit of praise through the first two weeks of the NFL regular season.
The unit earned national attention in Week 2 thanks to rookie corner Jaylen Watson intercepting Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert at the goal line and returning it 99 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the win for Kansas City.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert is intercepted by rookie 7th round pick Jaylen Watson, who returns it for 99 yards and the TD. PAT is good.
The Chiefs’ defense has earned a 73.2 coverage grade from PFF over the first two weeks, which ranks seventh overall in the NFL. However, the Chiefs’ secondary has benefited from injuries to their opponents, with Arizona Cardinals receiver Rondale Moore missing the Week 1 matchup along with Deandre Hopkins being suspended, and Chargers veteran Keenan Allen missing the Week 2 matchup.
This is why, with the Chiefs heading towards matchups against the Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Buffalo Bills over the next month, one NFL analyst is urging the defending AFC West champions to sign a veteran corner with a strong NFL résumé.
Proctor: Janoris Jenkins an Option for Chiefs
KC Proctor of Arrowhead Addict listed three free agents with helpful experience that the Chiefs should consider signing. One of the more intriguing options was veteran cornerback Janoris Jenkins.
Jenkins entered the league as a second-round pick of the St. Louis Rams in the 2012 NFL Draft. He burst onto the scene with a Defensive Rookie of the Year award and All-Pro honors his rookie season. That season, he recorded three pick-sixes, per Pro Football Reference.
Overall, Jenkins has played 10 seasons in the NFL, four of which were with the Rams, four with the New York Giants, one with the New Orleans Saints, and one with the Tennessee Titans.
On March 15, the Titans released Jenkins, 33.
“Surely the Titans had their reasons for moving on from Jenkins, but one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and the Chiefs could use the reliable consistency that Jackrabbit has shown year-over-year for the past decade,” Proctor wrote on September 21.
Based on the NFLPA’s public salary cap report and the news of the Chiefs restructuring kicker Harrison Butker’s contract to free up cap space, Kansas City has approximately $3.1 million in available cap space.
Due to his age and free agent status during the regular season, the Chiefs could potentially sign Jenkins to a one-year contract that keeps them under the salary cap. It would also be beneficial to get another veteran into the cornerback room, as the Chiefs have three rookies playing large roles this season (Watson, Trent McDuffie, and Joshua Williams) and could use the added experience in the secondary.
Andy Reid Talks 2-0 Start for Chiefs
Speaking to the media on September 19, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid discussed the challenge of starting the season with two games in a five-day span and being able to come out with two wins in that situation.
“Yeah listen, Matt (McMullen), it’s one of those things that the league gives you. It’s a little bit of a scramble drill getting everything together, but we try to work with it before we get to that point and have somewhat of a plan of what direction we’re going to go unless that team that you’re playing on Thursday night completely changed in the first game from what you’ve anticipated,” Reid explained during his press conference.
“But it’s workable, it’s nice to have the couple days off for our players to get a little of the soreness out from the beginning of the season, training camp, all (of) that, so I think that’s a plus. The mini‐bye – I guess (that’s what) we’re calling them now – it’s good to have a mini‐bye and get ourselves back on the road. We don’t have another Thursday game, so it’s behind us now and you move forward with what we’ve got.”
Next up on the Chiefs’ schedule is a road game against the Colts on Sunday, September 25 at 12 p.m. CST.