KC Chiefs: Sizing up the competition at cornerback

General Overview

The Kansas City Chiefs saw a lot of change at the cornerback this offseason. They saw the departure of starter Charviarus Ward as well as Mike Hughes. They also acquired several rookies, most notably Trent McDuffie from Washington. They will also retain late-round steals in L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton.

Current Depth Chart

Here is who the Kansas City Chiefs currently have on the roster, who are listed as cornerbacks:

• L’Jarius Sneed
• Trent McDuffie
• Rashad Fenton
• Joshua Williams
• Jaylen Watson
• Deandre Baker
• Lonnie Johnson Jr.
• Dicaprio Bootle
• Luq Barcoo

Projected Roster

Depending on what the Chiefs decide to do with Lonnie Johnson, I project that the Chiefs will have six cornerbacks on the roster, but for the sake of this exercise, I will not include Johnson in this projection. One or two of them will play special teams in some capacity.

Here is who I think will make the opening week roster:

• L’Jarius Sneed
• Trent McDuffie
• Rashad Fenton
• Joshua Williams
• Deandre Baker
• Jaylen Watson

In the end, I believe that the Chiefs will stick with their current draft picks over DiCaprio Bootle and recent addition Luq Barcoo. I think that Baker will continue the special teams role that he played in 2021 (he played 69 special teams snaps in 2021, per PFF) and Watson will have to play special teams to avoid the practice squad. I project that Bootle and Barcoo will be re-signed to the practice squad, assuming they both clear waivers.

Conclusion

Due to the extreme youth at the position (no current cornerback was drafted before 2019), the Kansas City Chiefs will likely experience near-extreme growing pains at the position. Cornerback is not a spot where rookies and second-year players generally thrive at a high level. But to experience an elite cornerback unit a couple of years down the line, the Chiefs may have to go through some hardships this season and next.

Which cornerbacks do you think will make the final roster? Who do you think gets cut at the end of training camp? Let me know in the comment section, or on Twitter (@StrozinskyLucas).