Kansas City Chiefs: Phillip Gaines Bounce Back Season

Cornerback Phillip Gaines tore his ACL against the Green Bay Packers, September 28th last year. The 25-year-old will fight for a starting job this season. Will he be the Kansas City Chiefs bounce back player of the year on defense?

The Kansas City Chiefs took Phillip Gaines in the 3rd round of the 2014 draft, 87th overall. Gaines put up good numbers at Rice University in Houston Texas. He had 175 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and two sacks as a defensive back. He added four interceptions while batting down 38 passes.

Those aren’t the best numbers for a guy that played in parts of five seasons for Rice but solid nonetheless. The greatness of Gaines showed at the combine. Take a look at this video showing off his skills before the Chiefs drafted him.

The skills Gaines showed at the combine is one of the main reasons why the Chiefs drafted him so high. The potential materialized at the combine and the Kansas City Chiefs popped on him.

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During his rookie season in 2014, Gaines accumulated 20 tackles and batted down four passes. He started in five of 13 games. Last year, Gaines started in game one. He started the first three games then the injury accrued ending his season. The loss of Gaines limited the depth of the Chiefs corners which played a big role throughout the season.

If Gaines can stay healthy, he’s got a lot of potential for success for the Chiefs. He showed off his talents back in 2012 while playing for Rice University. Here’s a look at some of his great plays.

Gaines’ ball skills are amazing. He attacks the ball looking to intercept the pass each time. His passion shows on the field when he beats his chest in excitement. The guy looks to have shutdown corner kind of talent. This is a highlight video so the bad isn’t shown here but this video is still impressive.

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The Chiefs need a corner to step up. The loss of Sean Smith is a big void to fill. Smith started in 13 games for Kansas City in 2015. He had two interceptions, 12 passes defended and 40 tackles. Smith went to rival Oakland Raiders during free agency.

Gaines will have to beat out a few guys to win the starting cornerback job. He’ll have to beat guys like returning Chiefs, Jamell Fleming, Steven Nelson and Marcus Cooper. While he also try’s to stave off rookies, KeiVarae Russell, D.J. White and Eric Murray.

If he can duplicate some of the skills shown in the highlight video at the NFL level again, he should be a leading candidate to win the starting cornerback job.

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Gaines needs to show off his talents fully starting as soon as he’s healthy enough. He’s got the skills to succeed. Now is the time to prove himself worthy of another chance. He he does so, he’ll be a front runner for bounce back player of the year.