Phillip Gaines has earned confidence from Chiefs staff

The Kansas City Chiefs believe that Phillip Gaines is back and better than he’s been in years. That’s good news for a needy cornerback group.

Right about now would be a good time for Phillip Gaines to turn a corner.

The Kansas City Chiefs are heading into Week 1 against the New England Patriots to open the NFL season, a primetime contest that should set the tone for a very difficult front end of the schedule and establish the national reputation for the franchise. Defending Tom Brady is always a tall order, but Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has added some new pieces in Brandin Cooks and company to the offense. In other words, the Patriots have never been this offensively dangerous (and certainly not as versatile) since Randy Moss was suiting up.

This means the Chiefs pass defense is going to be tested for 60 full minutes. The secondary as a whole is a strength for the Chiefs, and K.C. can feel good about having answers for many weapons. Eric Berry, Marcus Peters, Ron Parker and company all know what it takes to win, but the loss of Steven Nelson to injury thins out a group that already faced questions about who would ascend to start on the outside opposite Peters.

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The Chiefs might have their answer in Phillip Gaines. At the very least, they’re depending on him to supplant Nelson until he returns from an injury to a core muscle. If you’ve not been watching this preseason, you might be rolling your eyes right about now—reticent to believe in Gaines on any level considering he’s yet to reward the Chiefs for their third round investment in 2014. But the Chiefs are feeling confident about Gaines’ ability these days.

Speaking to the media this weekend, Brett Veach answered several questions, one of which allowed him to praise Gaines.

"All of our guys have progressed and made improvements – I think you saw that from Phillip Gaines this offseason, I think we were all excited about his rookie year and then he had the knee. But him coming back this year and really putting out some good tape, we’re excited about that. We’re excited about where we are at that position."

To be excited about Gaines is to be excited about a new man at this point. It’s the only explanation. Gaines has been a model of inconsistency and injury to this point, and the idea of a defense depending on Gaines would worry most Chiefs fans. But it might help to know a few things:

Contract year: Gaines is now in a contract year and will earn a payday this coming offseason. The Chiefs might like what they see and find a way to keep him, but if nothing else, Gaines needs to look the part for 16 games this year to earn a sizable paycheck. Pass defense is always a need and Gaines is still young enough to play an upside card, especially if he lays the foundation of a good year.
Athleticism: The core talent and athleticism has always been there, even if the performance has not. Injuries cannot be controlled and Gaines has been unlucky at the NFL level. He’s also been inconsistent. That said, he’s very athletic with very good speed and a strong nose for the ball (38 pass breakups in college, a school record at Rice).
Projected as a project: NFL Draft analysts were quick to point out that Gaines might take some time for whoever drafted him. Yes, he performed at Rice, but translating into a starting corner at the highest level was going to require some developmental work on the part of the coaching staff. It could be that Gaines is a late bloomer, especially if injuries prolonged his development.

If Gaines is as good as advertised, then the Chiefs might have more cornerback talent than initially believed, allowing the team to soften the blow from the loss of Nelson. It Terrance Mitchell can show the same form as he displayed last season, the Chiefs have the talent and depth at the highest level. That’s good news for their Thursday evening showdown.

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