The Kansas City Chiefs chose to trust their recent draft picks at cornerback when they traded veteran star L’Jarius Sneed this offseason. But as of August 13, the results have not been there.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo hinted that the Chiefs needed to see more from their CB room back on July 29 when he challenged someone to take the starting job across from Trent McDuffie. Through one preseason outing, however, no one has.
KC beat reporters Nick Jacobs (KSHB41) and Matt Derrick (Chiefs Digest) were notably critical of the cornerback competition on their podcast, “41 is the Mic,” following the Chiefs’ August loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“The number two corner spot — like, who wants it? Cause right now, nobody is showcasing that they want it out there,” Jacobs began while discussing “things that were terrible” from the preseason opener.
“It’s getting to a point now where [the] Chiefs may have to start thinking about if they want to add a veteran,” the long-time KC media member continued. Adding that Kansas City might even have to “go trade for somebody” at this point in the offseason.
“They’re at that point now,” Jacobs stated candidly about a unit that he deemed “frustrating to watch.” Finally, he suggested that the Chiefs will either have to make a move at cornerback or “ride it out” with this group until the trade deadline.
Chiefs CBs Joshua Williams & Nic Jones Said to Have ‘Failed Their Assignments’ While Backups Criticized for ‘Rough’ Outings
As Jacobs and Derrick broke down the cornerback play on Saturday night, they made it clear that they were not impressed by any of the CB2 candidates.
“You were hoping [second-year seventh rounder] Nic Jones would have a better showing than what he did,” Jacobs outlined, highlighting the touchdown pass where wide receiver Devin Duvernay “turned” him around.
Similarly, the reporter called out [third-year prospect] Joshua Williams for getting “lost” on the deep ball to rookie Brian Thomas Jr. Derrick agreed that both Jones and Williams “failed their assignments” on August 10, giving the Chiefs no sign that they can start at nickel and CB2 if called upon.
“[Rookie] Kamal Hadden, he had a rough night,” Jacobs said later. “And then [Keith] Taylor, he had a rough night too.” He was particularly critical of the Hadden and Taylor pairing for their outside containment struggles on run defense.
“I’m really underwhelmed with what we continue to see,” Jacobs concluded ominously. “The days are stacking up more and more and unless Jaylen Watson can get healthy and take it over, or if Nazeeh Johnson gets healthy … there’s a big question mark about who’s going to be starting opposite Trent McDuffie and it didn’t feel like anyone answered it tonight.”
Nagging Injuries Haven’t Helped Chiefs Figure out Cornerback Problem
As Derrick and Jacobs discussed this topic, they leaned toward Watson, Johnson or Kelvin Joseph giving the Chiefs a better shot at shutting down wide receivers than the players that appeared in Jacksonville.
The issue? They’re all dealing with injuries.
Watson’s return from shoulder surgery has taken some time throughout the spring and summer — and the third-year CB was just recently cleared for contact. Johnson has dealt with setbacks and new issues in his knee.
The trainers were looking at Nazeeh Johnson’s right leg, the same leg that he suffered a torn ACL in camp last year.
Both have also shown signs of rust at camp, according to the trusty eyes of Derrick and Jacobs.
Then there’s Joseph, who looked to be on the fast track toward winning the job before tweaking his hamstring.
“Right now, you’re right,” Derrick eventually responded to Jacobs. “If the Chiefs went out shopping for a veteran corner to just add to the depth to give them a floor, I wouldn’t be stunned.”
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