Chiefs must add corner depth

The Kansas City Chiefs need to address the final glaring need on their team.

General manager John Dorsey has done a masterful job this offseason. He was able to retain Derrick Johnson, Eric Berry, Jaye Howard and Tamba Hali on defense, while keeping Jamell Fleming and Frank Zombo for the special teams. On offense, Dorsey went out and shocked us all with the signing of right tackle Mitchell Schwartz to a  five-year deal, giving the team a much-improved offensive line.

However, Dorsey was not able to hold onto Sean Smith, who bolted for the Oakland Raiders on a four-year, $40 million deal. With Smith gone, the Chiefs desperately have to upgrade the cornerback position behind Pro Bowl rookie Marcus Peters, who led the league with eight interceptions in 2015.

Right now, Peters is the clear-cut No. 1 corner with Phillip Gaines penciled in on the opposite side. It seems that second-year man Steven Nelson would be the prime suspect to put into the slot, with Fleming and Marcus Cooper rounding out the rest of the depth chart. Let’s be honest, that is terrifying.

The free-agent market is not showcasing much at this point. Brandon Boykin, Leon Hall and Nolan Carroll are still options, but after that, it is a barren wasteland. The Chiefs might be forced to draft a cornerback in the first round for the second time in as many years, something that could be great, or a major issue.

Kansas City is trying to win the Super Bowl now. Having Gaines as the No. 2 corner is fine except for his health issues that have plagued him during his first two professional seasons. Nelson is a complete unproven in the slot, and should the Chiefs run into the New England Patriots come January, that’s a devastating mismatch.

Dorsey has done a great job so far, but he has important work to do.