Which Chiefs cornerback will start opposite Trent McDuffie?

There are still question marks in the Chiefs’ defensive backfield.

The Kansas City Chiefs are days away from opening the 2024 NFL season at Arrowhead Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens. The team has learned a lot about itself through the preseason but has not been able to cement one player as the second cornerback behind Trent McDuffie, a first-team All-Pro defender in 2023.

On the unofficial depth chart released by the Chiefs on Saturday, cornerback Jaylen Watson was listed along the starting line; Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson were both on the second line.

That speaks to the volume of snaps Watson has played in his career: Watson has played over 300 more snaps than Williams has for the Chiefs. However, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo doesn’t view the cornerback rotation like it appears on an unofficial depth chart.

“It’s an unanswered question right now, to be honest with you,” Spagnuolo responded, when asked about the second cornerback spot. “With the injures that we dealt with, guys in and out, it was hard to say, ‘This is the guy that won the job.’

“There will probably be a bunch of them playing. We mix and match a lot anyways, so there will be a lot of that going on.”

Each of the three cornerbacks slated to rotate in Week 1 are third-year players — part of the “Fab Five” group nicknamed by defensive backs coach Dave Merritt after the 2022 NFL Draft. McDuffie and safety Bryan Cook complete the quintet, but the three specifically competing for starting snaps outside have a bond that has helped through the preseason.

“We’re like brothers,” Nazeeh Johnson told reporters in the locker room Monday. “Bickering, fighting amongst each other, joking around — but there’s no animosity between us. Whoever can get the job done is going to get the job done; we all have faith in one another.”

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

The perimeter cornerback spot is not the only secondary spot that could feature a rotation. McDuffie manned it last year and has this preseason situationally. Safety Chamarri Conner has also played in the slot and may get the nod as the primary slot defender in Week 1 against the Ravens.

Spagnuolo pointed out how important it is for the Chiefs to defend the run from the slot — but still respect the passing attack at the same time.

“The expectation is they’re going to come in here and run it. We get it,” Spags acknowledged. “Hopefully, we can get them in situations where they have to throw, and we can be good against that. This team gets noted as a running team — they can do everything. They have really good wideouts, the quarterback can extend the down, he’s accurate... it’s going to be a tremendous challenge right out of the gate in the first game of the season.”

The need for both physicality and coverage ability may also call for rookie safety Jaden Hicks to step up in his NFL debut. He has flashed in the preseason with solid tackling in the open field, something that could be useful against the Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry.

However, the safeties playing in front of Hicks have some of that same ability. He may be naturally buried on the depth chart, but Spagnuolo will find ways to rotate him into the game. It’s not just to use Hicks’ talent, it’s to prepare a young player for more down the road.

“One of the things we do like to do and I believe in, in the early part of the season, we like to get guys playing time here or there,” Spagnuolo shared. “Sometimes, you have to do it in key situations; it might be to rest guys because they’re not used to playing 60 or 70 plays then being ready for the fourth quarter. It’s also giving guys experience along the way.”

“I remember a couple years back, when we were rotating some guys at linebacker,” Spags recalled. “As the season went on and guys got hurt, now [backups] had a little bit of a foundation of some playing time in games that helps. We might do a little bit of that with Jaden Hicks.”

It’s a marathon, not a sprint, for the Chiefs on their quest for a three-peat. Just like Conner last year, Hicks may not find his role in the unit until later in the campaign.

The same can be said about any of the three cornerbacks rotating in beside McDuffie. The rotation may get tweaked as the season progresses, but each will still need to be ready to make a statement with their play in Week 1.