Are the Kansas City Chiefs cornerbacks better or worse than 2018?

Reasons to believe they are worse

Let’s start here with the level of investment, because this should be the most troubling to anyone.

The Chiefs were lacking a reliable starting cornerback opposite Marcus Peters heading into the 2017 season. Steven Nelson had health issues. Phillip Gaines was inconsistent and never looked the part. Instead of addressing it in the draft where there were corners available in the second round (e.g. Chidobe Awuzie who would go next), the Chiefs selected a project pass rusher in Tanoh Kpassagnon. After that missed opportunity, the team decided to throw pasta at the wall. It’s a theme that should sound familiar.

Kenneth Acker was given a chance. D.J. White was, too. Terrance Mitchell has turned a few heads over the course of a few games. Maybe Leon McQuay? The first time around for De’Vante Bausby? You get the picture. First John Dorsey and then Brett Veach seemed to want to plant several longshot seeds in the hopes that something grew that didn’t require a major investment.

From there, the problems have only grown worse. Marcus Peters was traded the following offseason and Kendall Fuller was imported in the Alex Smith trade. Instead of finding a starter opposite Peters, the Chiefs were taking things down to the studs and resetting the whole thing with a slot corner—albeit one heralded as the league’s best. Still that left K.C. without boundary corners (or asked Fuller to play away from his strengths).

Just like the 2017 draft, which featured zero investments at cornerback, the entire 2018 class would go by with only a drop in the potential bucket in the form of Tremon Smith, a small-school corner. The Chiefs traded their best corner and hoped to once again score on a longshot. Brett Veach talked passionately about names like Will Redmond and Keith Reaser. David Amerson was signed to a one-year deal. Again no investments.

We all know the results, which is why it’s so frustrating that yet another offseason has gone by with no major investments at cornerback once again. It’s another rotation of names signed to one-year contracts and the latest sixth round investment. And this time around, we’re supposed to believe when the last two offseasons proved otherwise?

Ward looked good down the stretch, but many Chiefs corners have looked solid for a handful of games, a list that runs from Marcus Cooper to Terrance Mitchell. Breeland cost the Chiefs a scant $2 million for a single season. Do you really think that any corner who is going to significantly shift the secondary went for so cheaply? Breeland lost $24 million in contractual value last season, so do you think he’s going to shy away from anyone willing to outbid for his services?

Reaser has been here before and failed to stick. Tremon Smith is a return specialist and nothing more on this roster. Rashad Fenton could turn into something but how much is anyone ready to die on that hill right now?

Veach moved heaven and earth to bring in Frank Clark instead of Justin Houston and Dee Ford as his pass rushers. He completely reset the safeties on the field with two new (very impressive) starters. Is there really nothing more we can do at cornerback here?