Will Redmond: The Kansas City Chiefs’ answer at cornerback?
By Kody Latham
Most fans do not always pay attention to who is on the practice squad, the Chiefs could have themselves a diamond in the rough in Will Redmond.
The Kendall Fuller trade has made Chiefs Kingdom excited about the upcoming season. The trade significantly upgraded the defense on paper, all the while allowing us to move seamlessly into the Patrick Mahomes era.
The thing with Fuller is that he primarily has played the slot corner spot since he has been in the NFL. This fact has led people to speculate about if the Chiefs will double down in free agency and grab another corner. The popular names like Trumaine Johnson and Kyle Fuller would be good fits in the Chiefs defense, but the problem is the Chiefs will have to pay top dollar for these proven veterans. With Reggie Ragland, Marcus Peters, Chris Jones and Tyreek Hill all on expiring contracts by 2019, Brett Veach should be wary of spending all his money this year.
The Chiefs may have an answer in house that has been sitting on the practice squad. Will Redmond was projected to be a first round pick coming into the 2016 draft class until he tore his ACL his senior season. He played seven games that season and had played in all of the Mississippi State Bulldogs games up to that point starting in 2013. Redmond finished his college career with 99 tackles, eight passes defended, and five interceptions. Todd Mcshay had this to say about him prior to his injury:
"“One of the best pure cover corners in this class, Redmond has two interceptions in his first four games of 2015, his first season as a full-time starter. He shows excellent quickness and agility, which is why he gives up little separation in man-to-man coverage.”"
Coaches were also impressed with his tackling ability:
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Since being drafted in the third round by the San Francisco 49ers Will Redmond has struggled to see the field. He spent his entire first year in the NFL on injured reserve, and then the following season, he was once again placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Shortly after being place on IR for a second time, he was released by the 49ers, the Chiefs then signed him to the practice squad in November of this past season where he spent the rest of the year. After the Chiefs early exit from the playoffs they signed Will Redmond to a reserves/futures deal.
From the outside looking in, I doubt we see Redmond as the starting corner opposite Marcus Peters next year. If the coaches feel like he was improving though, they may hold off on any free agent signing. Redmond has the talent to be a starting outside corner one day if he can be healthy for a full season. Veach has shown an affinity for getting big time talent players for pennies. If he can somehow turn Redmond into a consistent player in the secondary, he will have gotten another great talent like Kendall fuller and made this secondary even stronger without breaking the bank.