Getty Kansas City Chiefs rookie cornerback Ekow Boye-Doe during 2023 training camp.
One consistent name on the Kansas City Chiefs’ injury report throughout training camp has been veteran defensive back L’Jarius Sneed — who has been dealing with swelling in his knee.
Sneed missed practice again on August 9 according to Arrowhead Pride’s Pete Sweeney, and the Chiefs have shrugged off his absence most of the summer. Having said that, some are beginning to worry that KC management is downplaying Sneed’s ailment.
“Sneed’s knee injury has been a thing for much longer than most fans likely realize,” voiced Matt Conner of Arrowhead Addict on August 10. “Earlier this week, Andy Reid stated that Sneed continues to sit out of practice in order to manage the swelling around his knee. That was exactly what he said back on June 15 when Sneed also had to sit out of mandatory minicamp in the spring.”
Conner then traced the knee issue back to the Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
No one is doubting Sneed’s Week 1 availability — yet — but his banged-up status could force the Chiefs to keep a sixth cornerback at the cutdown and a few candidates are emerging for the role. One, in particular, could be a dark horse to make the roster: undrafted rookie Ekow Boye-Doe.
Chiefs UDFA CB Ekow Boye-Doe Predicted to Make 53-Man Roster
During a roster projection on August 10, Chiefs insider Charles Goldman (now of A-to-Z Sports) predicted Boye-Doe would make the official 53 ahead of Week 1. The rookie has had a very nice summer after impressing the KC coaching staff during a tryout, but this is the first time anyone has been bold enough to put him on the roster at the end of camp.
“There’s no telling how Sneed’s knee is going to hold up throughout the 2023 NFL season,” Goldman reasoned. “I think the Chiefs have no choice other than going heavy at this position group because of that fact. Nic Jones and Ekow Boye-Doe have both worked in and played some with the first-team defense during training camp. They also seem to have captured the interest of Dave Toub on special teams.”
This year’s standout seventh-round draft pick, Jones, is pretty much a guarantee to make the team after Nazeeh Johnson’s torn ACL, but most have the CB room locked in at five. That leaves promising youngsters like Boye-Doe, Kahlef Hailassie and Reese Taylor on the outside looking in.
Is it really that simple though? Goldman is thinking outside the box here, and he might be right. After all, KC has had their injury issues at cornerback before between Sneed and Trent McDuffie.
Second-year CBs Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson are the first men up behind the starting pair, but more depth could be a priority at this position — especially if Boye-Doe is also contributing on special teams.
Chiefs CB Ekow Boye-Doe Is Perfect Feel-Good Kansas Story to Root for This Summer
No offense to Hailassie, Taylor or any of the other KC reserves at cornerback, but it’s hard not to root for Boye-Doe. The Kansas State product originally hails from Ghana.
Although his family immigrated when he was younger, it took some convincing to get his parents to sign off on football. Glenn Kinley of KSNT News told the story of Boye-Doe and his cousin, Peter Afful Jr., on April 11.
The story of Ekow Boye-Doe and Peter Afful Jr’s unique path to pro football. It starts in Ghana and goes through Lawrence, Manhattan and Topeka. These two cousins are hoping to be drafted later this month. That’s all after they almost didn’t get to play football at all.
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“Believe it or not, these two almost didn’t play football at all,” Kinley informed while interviewing Boye-Doe and Afful. The former admitted that his family wasn’t “too happy” about the idea of him and his cousin playing football when he first broached the subject.
When Afful’s father was asked permission by a coach, his response was simple: “No.”
Despite the initial resistance, Afful Sr. revealed that Peter’s “Auntie” eventually signed for him, allowing the older of the two cousins to play wide receiver. The younger Boye-Doe quickly followed suit, except he lined up on the other side of the ball at cornerback.
Afful Jr. ended up breaking out in Topeka, Kinley informed, while Boye-Doe caught fire in Manhattan (Kansas). The news feature ended with Afful Sr. telling the hometown Chiefs to “come and get them.”
For Boye-Doe, that dream came true. The next step is making the roster.