The Kansas City Chiefs are quite fortunate that at least one defensive back broke through. For the majority of the franchise's history, the No. 39 has represented one cup of coffee after another, defensive backs and the occasional running back trying (and largely failing) to make an impact while wearing the jersey. In our look back through Chiefs history, from 1 to 99, we were at least able to find one impactful defender and some memorable stories, even if the level of production here isn't all that great overall.
The complete history of Chiefs players to wear No. 39
The Best: Brandon Carr
During a fairly miserable stretch of Chiefs football, the Brandons—Flowers and Carr—were one of the few reasons to watch the team. In the 2008 NFL Draft, the Chiefs double dipped at cornerback and picked up the former in the second and the latter in the fifth. After four seasons with the team, he’d cemented his spot as the best player to ever wear No. 39 for the franchise.
It turns out making the leap from Grand Valley State to the NFL wasn’t too great for Carr, who became an immediate fixture in Gunther Cunningham’s defense. By season’s end, Carr had racked up 73 tackles, 6 deflections, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles after starting every game, proving himself as one of his class’s biggest steals. He’d go on to start every single game during his rookie deal and followed the money to Dallas to sign a five-year deal with the Cowboys after K.C. had committed to Flowers and not him.Â
Carr would go on to play through the 2020 season, with 201 total games played for K.C., Dallas, and the Baltimore Ravens. He never made a Pro Bowl, but he was an above-average starter for an incredibly long time at a mercurial position—and that makes him worthy of being called the best.
The Pilgrimage: Husain Abdullah
Husain Abdullah was a starting safety for the Chiefs from 2013 through 2015, wearing No. 24 that first season before switching to No. 39. He came to K.C. as an undrafted success story who'd already spent four years starting in Minnesota, but what set him apart wasn't just his ability to make such an impact after going unselected. He was also a devout Muslim who walked away from football entirely in 2012, at the peak of his career, to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca alongside his brother Hamza, also an NFL safety.Â
Andy Reid offered Abdullah a path back into the NFL, and he rewarded it as a reliable starting presence in the secondary. His signature Chiefs moment came early in 2014, when he intercepted Tom Brady and returned it 39 yards—a nice number here—for a touchdown in a 41-14 rout of the Patriots on Monday Night Football before he slid to his knees in prayer and got flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The NFL publicly admitted the next day that it should never have been called. The penalty set off a national conversation about whether the league applied its celebration rules evenly to expressions of Muslim faith the way it had long tolerated Christian ones, and it remains the play he's best remembered for.Â
The Storied Veteran: Ray Crockett
Ray Crockett arrived in K.C. in 2001 as a two-time Super Bowl champion at the very end of a long and decorated career. While his two seasons in red and gold were quiet compared to the rest of his career, the greater résumé makes him a worthwhile mention. The Lions' fourth-round pick (1989), Crockett broke out with team-leading 6 interceptions in 1991 and found another long-term home in Denver, where he won two championships after five seasons in Detroit. Crockett's final two years with the Chiefs were his 13th and 14th seasons overall, an impressive career in which he registered 51 takeaways in 214 games.
Et Cetera
- Bam Morris, RB - Former Doak Walker winner and Super Bowl starter with the Steelers before it all unraveled. Ran for under 500 yards in each of his two Kansas City seasons after coming over in a trade with the Bears. Pled guilty to federal drug trafficking in 2000.
- Terrance Mitchell, CB - Depth corner who started a handful of games across 2016-17 in a thin secondary.
- Tremon Smith, CB - Former Chiefs sixth-round choice (2018) who looked like a bust before finding his footing with the Texans as a returner and corner. Still playing there through 2026.
- Melvin Smith, Jr., CB - The current wearer who is hoping to make his mark in a remade secondary while he can in 2026.
- Mark Bailey, RB - A reserve back in the late-'70s who was the team's fourth-round pick in '77.
- Eric Everett, CB - Former Eagles CB who spent an unmemorable season in K.C. in 1991.
- Keith Taylor, CB - A now-journeyman corner who enjoyed a nice preseason with the Chiefs in 2024.
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