Chiefs vs. Bengals: Four positive takeaways from a frustrating game

Young corners are going to be good

This past offseason, the Chiefs decided to cash in one of their single most valuable assets at an interesting point of his career when they traded away Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. In return, the Chiefs got a bounty of draft picks that they largely used to upgrade their secondary in major ways.

In the draft, the Chiefs selected cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Joshua Williams along with safety Bryan Cook in the first four rounds. Just like that, they largely reinvented their pass defense for the next few years with the massive import of young talent. Filling so many slots with high-ceiling players is a good move on paper, but the Chiefs need things to work out on the field in order to not regret letting a true one-of-a-kind player go via trade.

So far, the results are looking very solid for the Chiefs. Not only is the team’s offense still able to reel off 30-ish points per game even without their best overall weapon but these cornerbacks are looking like they are going to be playmakers for the long haul for the Chiefs, especially McDuffie and Williams.

Does this sound funny coming off of a loss against the Bengals? Just remind yourself that Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati offense is going to make every team look bad for several drives in a game. What was big for the Chiefs was the way that McDuffie and Williams came up big on deep passes multiple times, and the clear upward trajectory that Chiefs fans are seeing from them game by game.

McDuffie even missed the first several games of the season with a hamstring injury but he’s been a quick study for the Chiefs defense. Meanwhile, Williams was supposed to be a long-term project, but he’s already an solid well-rounded player who is an asset against the run and yet his length is so important against opposing receivers.

The Dolphins have to be pleased but Chiefs Kingdom should be as well with last spring’s trade.