Getty Former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Thakarius "BoPete" Keyes in 2020.
Recent Kansas City Chiefs 2020 draft pick Thakarius “BoPete” Keyes has resurfaced once again, signing a new contract with the Cleveland Browns ahead of training camp.
The Browns reported the news, noting that the 6-foot-1 cornerback “is officially in his third NFL season out of Tulane.”
We have signed CB Thakarius Keyes and waived C Dawson Deaton with an injury designation
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Keyes has bounced around the league quite a bit since being selected in round seven by KC. He appeared in eight games with the Chiefs his rookie campaign — starting one — but has not lasted a full season inside one organization since then.
After being waived by Kansas City in September of 2021, Keyes’ long list of NFL stops over the past two years includes the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons, Texans again, Baltimore Ravens and now the Browns.
The Tulane product will battle for a roster spot or practice squad role in Cleveland, joining a secondary that just added former Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill. His CB competition outside of starters Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II are Martin Emerson Jr., Mike Ford, Chris Westry, A.J. Green III, Thomas Graham Jr., and rookies Caleb Biggers and Cameron Mitchell.
Chiefs Have Come a Long Way at Cornerback
In a few years, we could be looking back on the Chiefs 2022 draft class saying it was a franchise-altering group for the secondary.
KC general manager Brett Veach added three starting-caliber cornerbacks (Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams) as well as safety Bryan Cook. That doesn’t even include depth CB and special teams ace Nazeeh Johnson.
Veach then followed that up with two more rookie additions in the 2023 draft — cornerback Nic Jones and safety Chamarri Conner. He also brought in several UDFAs this spring to bulk up the secondary even more (Kahlef Hailassie, Ekow Boye-Doe, Reese Taylor, Isaiah Norman, Anthony Cook).
Now, seemingly overnight, the Chiefs secondary could be one of the deepest units on the entire roster. This swift transformation helped Kansas City win their second Super Bowl under head coach Andy Reid, but it might also alter how Veach attacks the future.
L’Jarius Sneed felt like a shoo-in to be extended back in March of 2022, for example. The new reality is the front office no longer has to go that route next offseason if they decide the veteran DB is replaceable.
Sneed was drafted the same year as Keyes — a fourth-round selection out of Louisiana Tech. He’ll be 27 in January, and one could argue defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had a hand in his Kansas City breakout.
That’s not to say Sneed is certainly gone in 2024, but Veach’s drafting has given him plenty of options to work with at cornerback. After all, we’ve seen the Chiefs move on from veteran talent in free agency (or via trade) many times under the current regime.
Chiefs Cornerback Cuts Will Be Challenging in 2023
Obviously, since the cornerback room is deeper than it’s been in years, cuts will be more challenging than ever in 2023.
Will seventh rounder Nic Jones make the Week 1 roster? Is Johnson a lock because of his special teams acumen? How about the aforementioned Sneed, any chance he’s traded to shed some cap space?
There are a lot of ways the CB unit could play out during the 2023 preseason. Barring injury, expect a minimum of five to make the roster, with the potential for six (McDuffie, Sneed, Watson, Williams, Johnson and Jones/standout UDFA).
That final spot will be determined by what the Chiefs decide to do at other positions.
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