The Kansas City Chiefs are fighting an undeniable uphill battle when it comes to replacing star corner Trent McDuffie. His four years of excellence in Kansas City cannot be understated, as he accumulated over 280 total tackles, 47 pass break-ups, nine forced fumbles, and 5.5 sacks. Not to mention his mighty effort during the Chiefs' back-to-back Super Bowl trophies in 2022-23.
The newly-acquired Los Angeles Ram had a 75.6 PFF rating with four pass breakups and a lone interception last season, low numbers, but for a reason. Opposing quarterbacks were clearly looking to target other areas of the field, as McDuffie more often than not was blanketing the guy he was assigned to. No question, losing a piece as valuable as McDuffie is going to demand a group effort from the current roster of the Chiefs to have a chance to replace the star defensive back.
First-round pick Mansoor Delane is obviously a huge factor in this, but year one expectations of replacing McDuffie's production alone aren't realistic. Delane is an exciting prospect, but will need time to develop within Steve Spagnuolo's system. Still, there are lofty expectations of a rookie impact as well as a needed year two jump from Nohl Williams.
It will take a unit-wide effort to replace superstar CB Trent McDuffie
The second-year corner finished with only an 83.4 passer rating when targeted and had four pass breakups during his rookie season. For the franchise to be able to confidently say they can replace McDuffie, it will take a more consistent impact from Williams, who was in and out of the lineup in the 2025 season due to veterans having established depth chart positions.
Looking beyond just the depth chart at corner, the Chiefs are going to need to win more consistently rushing the passer and in the middle of the field. Chris Jones and George Karlaftis cannot be the only Kansas City pass rushers to show up and have a consistent impact for the defense to work at as high a level as fans are expecting.
When looking at the middle of the field, you need Drue Tranquill and Nick Bolton to dial up the intensity, and both serve in a myriad of roles, upping their productivity to help take pressure off a young secondary.
Combined, this is unquestionably a lot to ask, but realistic when you consider that replacing a player as great as McDuffie isn't as simple as plugging in one new piece. Spagnuolo's unit as a whole is going to have to be more aggressive and consistent, with veterans and young players delivering on or beyond expectations. This is what has to happen to replace a player so well-respected throughout the league and one whose loss will be felt early in the 2026 season for the Chiefs.
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