Although the Kansas City Chiefs’ focus remains on securing the three-peat this winter, KC general manager Brett Veach and his staff must always keep one eye on the future as the other monitors the present. And a huge 2025 need will be at cornerback.
That realization led Bleacher Report analyst Alex Ballentine to suggest a veteran CB signing in free agency. More specifically, Ballentine believes Buffalo Bills starter Rasul Douglas would be a tremendous fit for the Chiefs.
“The Chiefs have built their cornerback room around young talents on cheap rookie contracts,” Ballentine wrote on November 25. “That’s always nice, but they also struggled to have enough money to keep L’Jarius Sneed, precipitating a trade with the Tennessee Titans this year. It would be nice if they could just keep finding hidden gems at the position in the draft, but that’s easier said than done.”
“Talking a veteran like Douglas into coming to Kansas City on a one- or two-year deal would bring some stability to the unit next season,” the B/R writer concluded.
Bills CB Rasul Douglas Would Offer Chiefs Experienced Ball Hawk, Quality Tackler & Veteran Presence
Douglas joined Buffalo as a key trade acquisition in 2023. Since then, he’s started 19 out of 20 appearances for the Bills, who flaunt one of the most dangerous secondaries in football in terms of takeaways (13 interceptions in 2024).
Unfortunately, the Chiefs’ secondary does not have the same reputation with just 6 interceptions and 6.1 yards allowed per pass attempt this season.
Veach and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo have put their faith in recent draft picks after dealing away Sneed — but the results have been mixed. Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson had a lot of success as the top CB pairing to start the year, along with Chamarri Conner manning the slot.
Since Watson’s injury, however, McDuffie’s numbers have regressed and fill-ins Nazeeh Johnson and Joshua Williams have had their ups and downs. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams and Johnson have allowed passer ratings of 118.8 and 98.2 when targeted, respectively.
Watson and Williams have also struggled with missed tackles throughout the 2024 campaign, with missed tackle rates of 14.7% and 25.0%.
Douglas would help with all of that. Entering the NFL as a third-round selection in 2017, the Bills CB offers plenty of reliable experience.
Over the course of his NFL career, Douglas has proven himself as a ball hawk who has accumulated a total of 19 regular season interceptions. PFF also credits him with a low missed tackle rate of 4.2% in 2024.
Leadership would be the final quality that Douglas brings. With safety Justin Reid potentially leaving in free agency and Sneed with the Titans, the Chiefs might need a new veteran presence in 2025. In theory, that could be Douglas.
Bills CB Rasul Douglas Earned $7 Million Per Year in 2022
If the Chiefs were to steal away Douglas from the Bills — one of their top AFC rivals over the past five years — what might it cost?
Douglas’ most recent contract was the biggest payday of his career, at $7 million per season according to Over the Cap. The Green Bay Packers inked that extension with the veteran in 2022 before trading him a year and a half later.
At 30 years old next August, Douglas would likely cost KC somewhere less than that $7 million per year number, despite his steady play in Buffalo. That makes him affordable, assuming Veach prioritizes cornerback in 2025 after less-than-ideal showing from the youth.
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Chiefs Pushed to Steal 19-Game Starter From Bills at Area of Need