Kansas City Chiefs: Training Camp Battle at Cornerback Position

The Kansas City Chiefs are beginning training camp, and one of the biggest question marks on the team is the cornerback position.

The Kansas City Chiefs begin training camp this week, and one of the most significant concerns for most fans would be the cornerback position. After watching the team trade away one of the leagues best young cornerbacks in Marcus Peters, fans have yet to feel comfortable with the roster. While Kansas City brought in cornerback Kendall Fuller via the Alex Smith trade, there are still question marks at the position.

Following a 2017 season where only three teams allowed more passing yards per game, there’s reason to be concerned. While Kendall Fuller had a breakout season last year and looks to be an excellent corner for Kansas City, he’s still yet to win over fans being compared to Marcus Peters.

David Amerson came over from the Oakland Raiders this offseason after missing ten games last season due to injury. He signed a great deal just before declining each of the last two seasons. Although, Oakland has done a terrible job with their cornerbacks over the past two seasons. Whether or not Amerson can get back to his 2015 success is a significant question mark.

Signing with Kansas City marks his third team in just six seasons. He started off displaying splashes of excellent cornerback production in his eight games as a rookie. The following season he struggled in the Washington Redskins defense.

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Two weeks into his third season with the team, Amerson was waived by the Redskins and signed by the Raiders. During his 2015 season in Oakland, he led the team with 26 passes defended. We saw a decline in the following two seasons, and numerous injuries kept him on the sidelines.

Some reports coming out of camp were that Amerson was struggling. When it comes to covering wide receiver Sammy Watkins, I expect some struggle there. While it’s not comforting to hear, let’s wait and see how he does when the cornerbacks are allowed contact with the receivers.

Steven Nelson enters as the cornerback who’s been with the Chiefs the longest. Spending the first half of the 2017 season on Injured Reserve, he saw some struggling midway through the season. Down the final stretch of the season, Nelson looked back to his usual self, but he’s still not the Peters shutting down an entire side of the field.

It’s obvious at this point that the starting three cornerbacks will be Kendall Fuller, Steven Nelson, and David Amerson. Unless General Manager Brett Veach makes a trade or signing of course. Who will land the fourth cornerback position and even make the team in the final cornerback spots is up in the air.

Sitting behind the top three starters are Ashton Lampkin, UDFA Arrion Springs, Keith Reaser, Will Redmond, and sixth-round pick Tremon Smith. Every one of these cornerbacks is unproven to this point. Veach spoke about Redmond and Reaser as guys no one is talking about, and that should not be slept on this offseason.

Reaser has some experience playing in regular season games with the Kansas City Chiefs. Redmond was a high draft pick with tremendous upside but has been injured most of his NFL career. When it comes to Springs and Smith, everything that has come out of minicamps and OTAs have been positive.

Springs has made some plays on the ball during offseason workouts. Now is the time to see what these cornerbacks can do when the pads are on. Springs played well in man coverage and could get up and make plays on the ball in college. I wouldn’t be surprised if the UDFA makes the 53 man roster.

Next: What to take away from Brett Veach's first full offseason?

While the battle is primarily for depth positions, Amerson has been unable to stay healthy, and if he shows signs of struggle early on, he could find himself on the bench or cut. Springs and Smith both have the opportunity during camp and preseason to jump Amerson for a starting role come Week 1 when the team travels to take on the Los Angeles Chargers.

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