Three Quick Thoughts On Kansas City Chiefs Secondary Situation

Oct 20, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive back

(21) prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 31-13. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs released Brandon Flowers on Friday, which shouldn’t be news to anyone at this point. Andy Reid and Bob Sutton now need to figure out how divide out the responsibilities in the secondary now that they are without their Pro Bowl cornerback. Here are a few quick thoughts on the Chiefs cornerback situation 48 hours removed from the news.

IS CHRIS OWENS A LOCK FOR THE ROSTER?

There is an immediate feeling amongst fans and media the five corners who will make the Chiefs roster will be Marcus Cooper, Sean Smith, Phillip Gaines, Chris Owens, and Ron Parker. The only other corners who seem to be in a position to earn a spot on the team would be cousins David and DeMarcus Van Dyke, with fringe guys Vernon Kearney and Malcolm Bronson needing several dominoes to fall if they want a shot at the 53-man.

There are, however, some issues with this line of thought, starting with Owens. Owens, who is listed as 5-9, 180, is not nearly as accomplished of a corner as Flowers and is smaller than him. The immediate assumption is Owens will take over the slot role but there may be a chance Owens is more of an insurance policy than he is the Chiefs nickel man. Consider that only $70,000 of Owens’ one-year, $800,000 contract is guaranteed (in the form of a workout bonus we assume he’s earned). Kansas City could cut him tomorrow and suffer only a very tiny dead money penalty for doing so.

John Dorsey has already displayed a willingness to cut a player at any time in order to take a shot at a young prospect, Cooper being the prime example of Dorsey’s willingness to make bold moves. With Dorsey being on record before the draft about the cornerback position being one of the deepest in this past year’s draft, it would seem to stand to reason there will be a corner or two cut after the preseason that may be attractive to Dorsey. Owens may be the fall guy in that situation.