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The Kansas City Chiefs defense has been a major problem in 2021, which presents the obvious question — will GM Brett Veach make a move to supplement this side of the football at the trade deadline?
As of now, the franchise has been quiet despite rumors swirling every day, linking KC to this player or that one. Bleacher Report even named them the “most desperate” team in the NFL.
And yet, Veach remains confident in the roster he’s built so far. They have made minor moves to help bolster different units, however, and today the Chiefs decided to add to their depth in the secondary.
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Chiefs Signs Josh Jackson
On October 29, NFL insider Field Yates tweeted that “the Chiefs have signed former Giants CB Josh Jackson to their practice squad.”
Jackon may have been with the New York Giants most recently but he’s best remembered for his work with the Green Bay Packers. The cornerback is a former second-round talent out of Iowa in 2018 that didn’t quite pan out for the Cheeseheads.
Ahead of the draft, NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared his play style to Josh Norman after an eight interception season in college.
He wrote: “Long-armed ball-hawk who understands how to maximize his length to disrupt the catch and take it away. Jackson could be labeled a ‘one-year wonder’, but 27 passes defended in a single season isn’t random. He’s talented but inexperienced and he has coverage holes that could be exploited early in his career.”
Jackson may have been a one-year wonder after all based on his short tenure in Green Bay, but Kansas City is willing to bet on his upside. The 25-year old was traded to the Giants in a CB swap in August. New York ended up waiving him before he ever got the chance to take the field.
He’s appeared in 42 NFL games during his four years in the league, accumulating 86 tackles and 12 passes defended. Ironically, he’s still waiting on his first career interception, although he did force one fumble.
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Chiefs Secondary Has Improved
Over the past two weeks, the KC secondary has gotten a little better. They were at their best during the Washington victory after Rashad Fenton returned from a brief absence. Safety Juan Thornhill also joined the starting lineup, replacing Daniel Sorensen.
Fenton, Thornhill, L’Jarius Sneed and Tyrann Mathieu ended up grading out as the Chiefs’ four top performances on the defensive side in Week 6. Charvarius Ward also returned in Week 7, earning a 78.4 coverage score from Pro Football Focus despite the embarrassing defeat.
Sneed has been up and down throughout the season though and he got torched against the Tennessee Titans, allowing four of four targets for 98 yards. He manned the slot for 31 of his 66 snaps (which led all cornerbacks in Week 7).
Fenton has called for a larger role and perhaps he’s earned it. He’s maintained a solid 80.9 coverage grade on the season and with Ward back in the picture, there’s no reason Sneed should be dominating the snap count for long.
After recent cornerback acquisitions like Mike Hughes, Deandre Baker and now Jackson, it’s clear that Veach isn’t satisfied at the position. So far, his plan has been to harness the potential of failed draft prospects. How long before he takes stronger measures?
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