Chiefs position review: Cornerbacks
Decision looms on Trent McDuffie
[Editor’s note: KC Sports Network writers Herbie Teope and Tyler Brown look at the Chiefs’ position groups on both sides of the ball with a series of articles ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.]
The Chiefs finished a respectable 18th against the pass in 2024, allowing 218.8 yards per game.
And in the grand scheme of things, the yardage through the air proved more than manageable when considering the Chiefs allowed just 19.2 points per game, which was the fourth lowest in the league.
While defending against the pass combines multiple factors, including the pass rush, the biggest component falls on the players locked up against opposing wide receivers.
The Chiefs thankfully have one of the NFL’s best in All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie. The team’s 2022 first-round pick enjoyed another productive 2024 campaign, totaling 59 tackles (45 solo) to go along with career-high numbers in interceptions (2) and passes defensed (13).
McDuffie’s supporting cast last season featured Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, Nazeeh Johnson, Chris Roland-Wallace and Keith Taylor.
Watson opened the season as the No. 2 cornerback opposite of McDuffie before suffering a leg injury, resulting in 11 missed regular-season games. The Chiefs then endured a revolving door, as Johnson, Williams and Roland-Wallace saw action during Watson’s absence.
With McDuffie, who earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2023 as a nickel defender, mostly playing on the outside last season, the Chiefs relied on safety Chamarri Conner in the slot.
OUTLOOK
Let’s get the big one out of the way first because the NFL-wide deadline looms on the horizon.
The Chiefs have until May 1 to decide whether to extend fifth-year options on McDuffie and defensive end George Karlaftis, both of whom were first-round picks in 2022 and enter the final year of their respective rookie contracts. Both players man high-priority positions, so it makes sense for the Chiefs to make the move.
Meanwhile, there remains room for improvement with the cornerback group, even with McDuffie.
The Chiefs addressed it by signing Kristian Fulton during free agency, signaling the team’s top three cornerbacks are McDuffie, Fulton and Watson.
Fulton’s arrival as a boundary defender should allow defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo the flexibility to move McDuffie back inside for nickel packages.
With McDuffie, Fulton and Watson likely projecting as the top three, the door is wide open for fierce competition among Johnson, Williams and Roland-Wallace for the remaining spots. And the path won’t be easy when considering the Chiefs also signed Robert Rochell, a special teams standout, during free agency and veterans Darius Rush and Eric Scott are on reserve/future contracts.
Nevertheless, the cornerback position in the NFL remains in high premium regardless of a team’s overall depth.
While the Chiefs have a glaring need on the defensive line, which should be addressed in the upcoming draft, it wouldn’t hurt to add a cornerback in the middle to late rounds.
