The Kansas City Chiefs underwent plenty of changes on defense this offseason. Beyond bringing in new pieces, some players will see elevated roles come their way. One player many are excited to watch with a firmer starting spot is cornerback Nohl Williams.
Williams flashed in various spots as a rookie last season. His performance against Philadelphia and their dominant wide receivers put him on the map. But in total, Williams was given just 44 percent of the defensive snaps.
Kansas City will be trusting him much more in 2026. Trent McDuffie was traded away, and Jaylen Watson departed in free agency. Even though Williams is only in his second season, he will be a year deeper into the system than the other starting outside cornerback, Mansoor Delane.
Steve Spagnuolo's cup of tea in every way
Williams is the exact type of cornerback defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo loves. With his length, good instincts, and swift read-and-react ability, he remains composed and poised while covering down the field.
Williams brings a stickiness and physicality in man coverage that all teams covet. If you can avoid penalties altogether, it is a strong sign for your defense. However, coaches would rather tell a cornerback to dial it down a notch than search for ways to increase their toughness in crucial moments.
Williams provided just small glimpses in 2025. Yet, his play was reminiscent of the steadiness McDuffie, Watson, and L'Jarius Sneed displayed early in their careers with the Chiefs. It does not hurt that Williams possesses an excellent nose for the football and ball-tracking ability as well. That goes back to his days at Cal, where he tallied 23 passes defensed and nine interceptions.
Williams' emergence can boost the entire defense
The mentality and play style Williams offers are exactly what could lead to him making a massive breakout around the NFL landscape in his sophomore campaign. Those aspects can also directly impact the rest of the Kansas City secondary. Young defensive backs like Delane, Jadon Canady, Xavier Nwankpa, and even Jaden Hicks can feed off Williams' effort while getting their feet wet.
In general, the Chiefs have to be better on third down and in clutch situations. That was a major part of the defensive mistakes last season. Long drives left Kansas City gasping for air. And when it looked like the Chiefs might get off the field, the execution needed to make a play and get a stop was difficult to achieve. A more consistent pass defense is going to be a start in turning those areas around. Williams, assuming the strong role that many anticipate, can get K.C. back to being feisty and more challenging in those situations.
Williams might be the hit of 2025
As analysts project Williams to break out this season, it is important to remember just how efficient he was during his chances last year. At this point, what are the odds that he becomes the best pick from the Chiefs' 2025 draft class? It will still take time to sort that out. But Josh Simmons already faced availability concerns last season and is currently banged up.
Plus, it would not be the first time a mid-round defensive back turned into a sneaky hit for general manager Brett Veach and his staff. Kansas City has faced a set of new circumstances in the secondary in prior settings. This team deserves the benefit of the doubt when dealing with new pieces at defensive back because of its hits there. Williams can make the Chiefs look smart in that area once again.
Add us as a preferred source on Google