Terrance Mitchell: “I always knew I could play”
By Matt Conner
Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Terrance Mitchell says he’s more confident now that he’s been given a real opportunity.
On November 8, 2016, the Kansas City Chiefs made a mistake. It was the day they waived cornerback Terrance Mitchell , making him available for anyone in the NFL to claim him. At that point, the Chiefs joined the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, Cowboys (again) and Houston Texans in teams that once had Mitchell in their grasp only to let him go. Fortunately, two weeks later, Mitchell found himself signed once again to the active roster.
Now his days of worrying about making the roster are likely well behind him.
During the final stretch of the 2016 regular season, Mitchell seemingly came out of nowhere to shut down opposing wide receivers, providing a clamp opposite Marcus Peters that frustrated passers who suddenly had nowhere to go. In seven games for the Chiefs (and 2 starts), Mitchell looked great down the stretch, with 6 passes defended. Responding to media questions from the Chiefs OTAs on Thursday, Mitchell says he’s growing more confident as he eases into the opportunity afforded by K.C.
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The playmaking skill set was always there, as illustrated by the fact that he grabbed a starting corner role as a redshirt freshman for Oregon. He posted a slower 40-yard dash time than most GMs would have liked, which dropped him from a projected mid-round selection to the bottom of the seventh round in 2014. Yet this is why game speed is a real thing. His final season, Mitchell had 5 interceptions and 7 passes defended for the Ducks.
It will be interesting to see if Mitchell can lock down the No. 2 corner spot away from Steven Nelson, who is a nice fit in the slot corner role as well, and Philip Gaines, who is playing for his second contract as a pending unrestricted free agent. There are plenty of other players in camp to provide competition for the lower slots on the depth chart and maybe someone else could surprise, but the competition is likely set among those three for the role opposite Peters. Mitchell certainly showed he can arrive in the clutch. Whether it’s a long-term arrangement remains to be seen.