Chiefs’ Dunta Robinson Lines Up Opposite Brandon Flowers

Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

According to the Kansas City Star, Kansas City Chiefs free agent CB Dunta Robinson is lining up as a starter, opposite Brandon Flowers.

From the Star:

"On defense, newly signed Akeem Jordan was the starting inside linebacker along with Derrick Johnson. Dunta Robinson and Brandon Flowers were the starting cornerbacks with Sean Smith coming in for the nickel defense. In that instance, Flowers shifted to cover the slot receiver."

Some interesting stuff here. Often the nickel corner will find himself covering the slot receiver while the starters stay on the outside. In this instance, however, KC has Flowers moving on to the slot guy.

The Chiefs have had a lot of difficulty covering slot receivers and tight ends in recent years. Former Alabama CB Javier Areans has been the Chiefs’ nickel recently and has played well at times but has also struggled.

Some thought the Chiefs might make Robinson move to safety while Smith played on the outside but it appears Andy Reid is mixing things up a little bit right now.

The good news is that the Chiefs significantly upgraded their defensive backfield, at least on paper.

With the league working more and more to spread defenses out, it might not be a bad idea to have a player like Flowers move to cover some of the leagues slot receivers in obvious passing situations. After all, slot receivers are generally pretty small so Flowers would match up well. Smith, who is much taller than your average corner, might be a better matchup on the outside against certain receivers.

Flexibility is the key here and it looks like the Chiefs have it.