Why the Chiefs cornerback battle opposite Trent McDuffie is a bit overblown

Cornerback has been an area of focus throughout training camp and this preseason for the Kansas City Chiefs. With the trade of L'Jarius Sneed, the spotlight outside of Trent McDuffie becomes even greater on this defense.

In the early years of the Andy Reid era, Kansas City was extremely up and down as a pass defense. The results have been much improved in recent seasons, however. Overall, the competition for the CB2 spot on the outside has been described as fierce, but for a defense like the Chiefs, has the battle for that position become overblown?

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's game plans allow for multiple defensive backs to thrive in various opportunities. Certain players will be able to possibly shine from more than one spot in the secondary. Meanwhile, the style that Spagnuolo enjoys from his defensive backs is something that arguably any cornerback can accomplish in this current secondary room.

Due to that, do not be surprised if a few different names occupy the official CB2 role for the Kansas City defense this season.

A potential breakout player for the Chiefs

Based on training camp and the preseason, there appears to be one player who is the leading candidate to start the season on the outside opposite of McDuffie. If this player continues to improve and takes another step in his third season, he could become one of the top breakout players around the NFL. That player is Joshua Williams.

Coming out of Fayetteville State in the star-studded Chiefs' draft class of 2022, Williams has the exact build that Spagnuolo salivates over. Listed at 6'3'' and 193 pounds, Williams' height and length are perfect for the heavy amount of man coverage that the Chiefs will incorporate. Williams can physically wear opponents down both at the line of scrimmage and throughout the course of the routes.

There is also an underrated aspect of Williams from his first two seasons. Even with limited snaps, the ball production has already stood out from this cornerback. How often he has been able to get his hands on the football is something that can help offset the loss of Sneed. And if he does handle more snaps at CB2 than others, Williams will likely get many opportunities to make these plays this upcoming season.

If teams are smart, they will likely attempt to throw away from McDuffie as much as possible. So if Williams continues his progression in ball production, along with frustrating opponents with his length, the potential to burst out is certainly plausible out of all of the CB2 candidates in K.C.

Spags will mix and match

Opposing offenses know that when they face Spagnuolo and the Chiefs' defense, different looks and pictures will be shown. Even though Kansas City utilizes man coverage at a fair rate, rolling coverages and flexing defensive backs into other positions is possible at any moment. Some of the recent playoff performances have displayed quarterbacks receiving a different look post-snap than what they may have seen visually in pre-snap.

This could lead to McDuffie altering between outside alignment and remaining in the slot this year. Elsewhere, it would not be surprising to see Chamarri Conner flex between the nickel and play safety over the top this season as well. And outside of the aforementioned Williams, names like Jaylen Watson, Nazeeh Johnson, and others battling for cornerback spots could be given specific one-on-one assignments. Some of those deployments depend on the team that the Chiefs defense is facing or the depth and star power of the opposing pass catchers.

If Spags continues to mix and match as he has in recent years, the chances will continue to come for various cornerbacks. Watson has been able to also create some ball production for Kansas City. There is also potential to tap into for man coverage reps when it comes to Johnson. With these cornerbacks all being in a tight battle, the Chiefs could only continue to grow and benefit from this source of depth and competition.

In the history of this regime, that has been how they have found their new pieces at defensive back and how they have grown their team success further.

Early season schedule may determine roles quickly

If the Chiefs are looking to determine specific roles on the cornerback depth chart, the early season schedule will give them tremendous looks to make those decisions. In the first month of the season, Kansas City takes on all of Baltimore, Cincinnati, Atlanta and the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers. All of these passing attacks have varying levels of expectations, but at the root of these opposing offenses, there are dangerous and steady quarterbacks.

With Joe Burrow back healthy, the Cincinnati Bengals may be the most dynamic passing attack that the Chiefs cornerbacks will face early on. Obviously, past history indicates that Cincinnati's offense can give Kansas City their greatest test.

In Baltimore, Lamar Jackson is coming off of an MVP-winning campaign. Zay Flowers had an exciting rookie year last season, and Mark Andrews has always been a security blanket for Jackson. But outside of that, the depth of the pass catchers raises some questions for the Ravens going into opening night against the Chiefs cornerbacks.

In Atlanta, Kirk Cousins has been quietly productive and consistent when healthy. Some weapons have experience and past production. However, the Falcons are still facing some depth questions among their pass-catchers as well. If Cousins is able to quickly produce, that matchup becomes even more intriguing for the KC cornerbacks.

Finally, the Chargers have been categorized as possibly having one of the worst pass-catching rooms entering this season. Perhaps, rookie second-round pick Ladd McConkey ends up being the WR1 for LA based on his numbers this year. But if we have seen anything in matchups between Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes, the Chargers' passer can deliver multiple dots all over the field even against a solid defense. The Chiefs cornerbacks will certainly not take that division matchup lightly, despite the view of L.A.'s weapons.