In what was a dark season for the Kansas City Chiefs, a select handful of young players served as bright spots. Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons was the best of general manager Brett Veach’s 2025 NFL Draft class, but another first-year player also stood out.
On defense, cornerback Nohl Williams made a name for himself. The Day 2 pickup showcased some upside in his debut campaign, setting the scene for a critical offseason.
As it turns out, folks in Kansas City aren’t the only ones who noticed Williams in 2025-26.
Chiefs CB Nohl Williams Makes Pro Football Focus All-Rookie Team
In a January 6 story for Pro Football Focus, Williams was listed as a member of the outlet’s Rookie Team of the Year.
Jim Wyman expands on the selection, praising Williams’ performance while weaving in PFF’s advanced grades.
“Despite having been the 12th corner taken in the 2025 draft, Williams played like a potential lockdown option opposite Trent McDuffie,” Wyman began. “A third-rounder out of California, Williams recorded a grade of at least 70.0 as a run defender (77.1), pass-rusher (73.9) and in coverage (75.3). On 257 coverage snaps, Williams allowed just 20 of his 36 targets to be caught for 227 yards and one score. Only eight of those 20 receptions resulted in first downs while forcing seven incompletions.”
Back in November, Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub tipped his cap to Williams for flashing his ability.
“Excellent,” Toub said of Williams. “I mean, he’s been making tackles on kickoff. He’s playing gunner. He’s fast, and he’s a really instinctive player. The future’s real bright for him, I think, for sure.”
Playing in all 17 regular-season games, Williams racked up 48 tackles (4 for loss), 7 pass breakups and a sack. He had 457 defensive snaps overall, in addition to 280 on special teams. Per PFF, he surrendered just an 83.9 passer rating in coverage and had 14 “stops” as a downhill defender.
It was a rookie year to remember for Williams, who might be a building block for the Chiefs moving forward.
Could Williams Make Kansas City’s Offseason Decisions Easier?
The organization will certainly hope so. As things currently stand, the present and future of the cornerback room are in flux. Williams, being under contract through the 2028-29 campaign, is about the surest thing long-term. Considering the sample size of his first season still left some to be desired, that’s scary to think about.
The elephant in the room is what Kansas City will do with Trent McDuffie. The star corner has his fifth-year option exercised, so he’s under team control for next season. Should the Chiefs and his camp fail to come to terms on a contract extension, though, perhaps entertaining a trade makes sense. If not, is McDuffie going to command something in the neighborhood of $30 million annually? There’s plenty to answer regarding him.
Aside from Joshua Williams, there’s a cornerback free agent worth monitoring as well. Jaylen Watson, fresh off consecutive productive efforts in 2024 and 2025, will hit the open market in March. He just played in 15 regular-season games and set career-highs with 64 tackles and 2 sacks. A sparkling 77.8 passer rating allowed in the last two years could get Watson paid. The odds of that team being the Chiefs, assuming McDuffie is back, seem low.
Last, but certainly not least, what will Kansas City decide on Kristian Fulton? After signing a two-year deal in free agency last offseason, he appeared in just eight games. The former Los Angeles Chargers standout didn’t look like his old self until very late in the regular season. Which version is the real one? Can Fulton be counted on?
According to Over The Cap, the team can cut Fulton and save $5M against the cap while incurring $8M in dead money. He’s far from a slam-dunk to remain on the roster for next season. Other personnel choices could impact his likelihood either way.
Williams may not be the best Chiefs cornerback, sure. But depending on what direction this offseason goes, he may be the most important one in the long run.
‘Lockdown’ Chiefs Rookie Could Help Team Make Key Offseason Decisions