The Kansas City Chiefs' cornerback room is looking thin after parting ways with Jaylen Watson, Trent McDuffie, and Joshua Williams since the NFL offseason began. Despite those losses, it doesn't seem like addressing the CB situation has been one of the Chiefs' top priorities thus far.
General manager Brett Veach has prioritized offense over defense in the early stages of free agency, bringing back Travis Kelce and Tyquan Thornton, while adding Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III. While the lack of CB moves might be puzzling to some, the quiet situation might stem from Kansas City knowing that Nohl Williams is already in the building.
Nohl Williams' Chiefs Future Already Looks Different
Nohl Williams played sparingly in his first year in the league. He missed the season opener and had to wait until Week 8 to play more than 24 snaps (44), only to be a healthy scratch for the next two games before playing just seven snaps in Week 13. Even so, he showed strong flashes when he was given a longer leash. Pro Football Focus graded him out at 74.5 overall, which ranked 14th among 114 eligible cornerbacks.
More than that, Williams closed out the season on a high note, and while the Chiefs were already eliminated from playoff contention, that strong stretch may have been just enough to convince defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo that he can be trusted with a starting job going forward.
In the final three games of the regular season, Williams gave up a 52.4 percent reception rate and allowed just one touchdown. He was also better than average against the run, finishing the season with 14 run stops and a 74.7 rushing defense grade on 177 defense snaps against the run.
According to Over The Cap, the Chiefs have $21.1 million to spend in free agency. That should be more than enough to find a suitable cornerback. That said, there aren't many high-end options in the market, and the Chiefs have even greater needs at wide receiver and EDGE rusher. That money would be better spent on addressing other areas of the roster.
The Chiefs have historically been great at developing mid-round picks, and Coach Spagnuolo is a master at patching things up and bringing the best out of his defensive backs. The Chiefs lost a true star in L'Jarius Snead a couple of years ago, yet they didn't seem to miss him one bit, as his tenure with the Tennessee Titans did not come close to the expectations set for him in Nashville. Hopefully, that will also be the case with McDuffie and Watson.
Of course, those are some big shoes to fill, but Williams proved that he could hold his ground when given more playing opportunities. Either by conviction or necessity, that's going to be the case next season unless the Chiefs have a big trade up their sleeve.
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