4 veteran cornerbacks who could fix the Chiefs' concerns in the secondary

The Kansas City Chiefs are poised to make a run at NFL immortality. The Chiefs are the two-time defending Super Bowl champions and are currently 10-1 on their quest to complete the first-ever Super Bowl three-peat. General manager Brett Veach hasn't been shy about bringing in veteran pieces to shore up Kansas City's roster and help them achieve their historic goals. They traded for veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins when they needed wide receiver help. They also just signed veteran left tackle DJ Humphries to help with their struggling pass protection. That really leaves just one questionable spot left: outside cornerback.

The Chiefs looked like they were set at corner early in the season when Jaylen Watson stepped up and locked down the number two cornerback spot in the wake of L'Jarius Sneed's departure. However, a likely season-ending injury for Watson has left K.C. thin at the position. Nazeeh Johnson has been trying his best to fill in, but the Chiefs pass defense has been struggling lately and could be an issue come playoff time.

So if Brett Veach can make the cap numbers work and sign one final addition to this roster for the home stretch of the season, is there a veteran option out there that might work?

I looked over all the veteran cornerbacks available both via free agency and on the practice squads of the other 31 teams and found four worth mentioning. There are some other developmental guys out there, but that route doesn't make sense to me. They don't need a young guy to groom; they need somebody experienced to potentially step in and play snaps without a lot of time to get comfortable in the system. That is only going to be possible for a veteran who has logged a lot of starts in the NFL and played in a variety of schemes.

Are any of these options perfect? No, none of them are a sure thing. There is no such thing as an obvious starter a team can sign at this point in the season. Anyone that good would already have a place to call home. Some of these guys are old. Some of them have character issues. Some of them are old and have character issues. They're still the best options available if Veach wanted to sign a corner with lots of starting experience who could potentially play meaningful snaps down the stretch this season.

1. Xavien Howard - 31 years old - 6'1" - 203 pounds

Xavien Howard is probably the most talented option on this list. While he isn't young, 31 isn't completely over the hill in NFL years. Last season he played 475 pass coverage snaps and Pro Football Focus gave him a 51.9 pass coverage grade. That's not good. For comparison, Jaylen Watson had a 74.2 coverage grade before getting injured and Nazeeh Johnson currently has a 47.8.

So is it a lock that Howard would even be an upgrade? No, but he was once an elite corner and is much more experienced than anyone KC has. Plus, quarterbacks only had a 86.7 passer rating when targeting Howard last season compared to 98.2 when targeting Johnson this season.

The downside here is that Howard has some serious character concerns. If you haven't heard about the allegations against him before, I warn you, they aren't pretty. He allegedly texted his ex-girlfriend's teenage son sexually explicit pictures of his mother as revenge for her refusing to get an abortion. I don't even know how to follow that sentence up. That's about as vile as you get.

If there were no character concerns I would be thrilled with taking a flier on a player like Howard (if the price was reasonable), but those allegations are gross enough that I would understand (and appreciate) if the Chiefs didn't pursue him.

2. Patrick Peterson - 34 years old - 6'1" - 203 pounds

Patrick Peterson is the oldest player on this list. He may very well be retired, but as recently as October, he implied that he'd still be interested in playing again. Peterson played a whopping 683 coverage snaps just last season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. PFF gave him a 61.4 coverage grade and quarterbacks had an 80.4 passer rating when targeting him. That's not terrible.

The question is if Peterson physically still has it. Would I trust Peterson to hold up over a 17 game season and the playoffs at his age? No. Would I even want Peterson playing 100% of the snaps from this point in the season on? No, but if the Chiefs were to sign Peterson now and ease him into the rotation, could Peterson get up to speed and conditioning just in time for the playoffs and possibly play some quality snaps during KC's playoff run? That sounds more like something the Chiefs might want to look into.

3. Desmond King - 29 years old (almost 30) - 5'10" - 200 pounds

If you looked over the current free agent cornerback lists in the last few days and didn't see Desmond King's name, that's because the Baltimore Ravens signed him to their practice squad just last week. I don't know if that makes him a less likely option because he's already with the Ravens or a more likely option. After all, it shows he's in better playing shape (he's also the youngest option on this list). King played 175 coverage snaps for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans last season. He had a 76.3 PFF coverage grade and quarterbacks had a 92.6 passer rating when targeting him.

King isn't the big name that Howard or Peterson is, but he is a long-time NFL starter who isn't quite 30 yet and is in good enough shape that the Ravens felt comfortable signing him to their practice squad. Plus the Chiefs could steal a player away from an AFC rival, which is never a bad thing. The real question is if King represents enough of an upgrade over Nazeeh Johnson to warrant taking playing time away from a younger player. If nothing else, King would be a veteran presence and depth piece in case the Chiefs have any further secondary injuries.

Marcus Peters - 31 years old - 6'0" - 197 pounds

I'm sure no Chiefs fans will have strong feelings about this one. Marcus Peters is a former Chiefs who was sent packing after the franchise tired of his antics on and off the field early in his career. The Chiefs have dealt with a lot from players during the Andy Reid era, so it probably is significant that they dealt Peters away in his prime (in return for second- and fourth-round draft picks). Peters' play began falling off the past few seasons, and at this point, nobody has felt like what he offers is worth it at this point in his career. Last season he played 426 coverage snaps for the Las Vegas Raiders. PFF gave him a 71.3 coverage grade and quarterbacks had a 101.7 passer rating when targeting him.

The biggest reason I don't think the Chiefs would consider Peters is because he's been known to play his own game regardless of what defense is called. Basically, he freelances and I don't think that will fly with Steve Spagnuolo who values being able to count on his guys playing their spots and not creating holes in the coverage. So on one hand, a reunion with the team that drafted him would make for a cool story, but on the other, I don't think this one makes much sense from a football standpoint.

So what do you think Chiefs fans? Do any of these options seem promising enough to kick the tires on? Do you think a 34-year-old Patrick Peterson could be an upgrade over Nazeeh Johnson for a playoff run or at this point are the Chiefs better off letting Johnson keep gaining experience and hoping he steps up as he has the chance to play more? Would you have any interest in taking a chance on someone like Howard (or even Peters) who brings baggage with them? Would adding someone like King for depth make more sense? I'd be interested to read your thoughts in the comments below.