From Chiefs Coast 2 Coast: the Chiefs go all-in on their young cornerbacks

On the latest episode of the Chiefs Coast 2 Coast podcast, Aaron Ladd and Mark Gunnels discuss the Kansas City Chiefs’ belief in their young cornerbacks for the rest of 2022.

(Listen to the podcast above or by clicking here. It is also available on Spotify.)

Moving on from Rashad Fenton

Mark: “It shows how much the Chiefs and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo believe in these rookie cornerbacks. Rashad Fenton was serviceable — but what they saw from these rookies made them feel comfortable enough to free up some cap space and grab a seventh-round pick. Normally you wouldn’t be so high on a seventh-round pick — but the Chiefs have a seventh–round rookie starting in their secondary right now. The bigger picture in creating this cap space shows that the Chiefs could still be looking to make another veteran move.”

Aaron: “I think this has more to do with savings than anything for the Chiefs... I think for Rashad Fenton, things move fast in the NFL — and it was as quick as the Chiefs’ young corners playing while he was hurt. They gain experience and the coaching staff got to see they could trust this young group of players. The main thing that worries me is we still need to see it from McDuffie — and this changes the depth in that secondary.”

McDuffie’s return

Aaron: “We haven’t seen McDuffie since Week 1 — and the Chiefs continued to hold him out to ensure he’s healthy. He had a chance to get up for the San Francisco 49ers, but the Chiefs decided to continue to hold him out through the bye week. Now they trade Rashad Fenton — and the Chiefs are going all-in on McDuffie as their No. 1 cornerback moving forward.”

Mark: “He’s now been practicing for almost three weeks and he is ready to go. I get that we feel like we have to see it, but I believe he’s a plug-and-play guy. With certain guys, you just don’t have to see that much — and we saw in Week 1 and in the preseason that he wasn’t being targeted... There’s the narrative that general manager Brett Veach doesn’t care about cornerbacks, but the Chiefs investing in a first-round pick makes me feel they are extremely high on what they have coming back. I believe in him — and this is a good week for him to return. The Tennessee Titans’ wide receiver room is nothing to write home about. They are a heavy run team — so in my mind, this is the perfect week for McDuffie to make his return.”

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