Kansas City Chiefs: Most surprising defensive players in 2019

RASHAD FENTON

There were a lot of complaints about how late in the 2019 NFL Draft the Kansas City Chiefs addressed the cornerback position, as they didn’t select one until round six. That pick was Rashad Fenton out of South Carolina, who many figured would just be a body on special teams.

Instead, Fenton did well! He saw the field quite a bit as a rookie, especially after Kendall Fuller went down with an injury early in the season. Fenton wasn’t a starter, but he was used in sub packages and established himself as a reliable option in the secondary for sure.

Fenton finished his rookie campaign with four passes defensed, one interception, one forced fumble, and 15 combined tackles in 12 regular season games. He didn’t start any games for the Chiefs in 2019, but with Breeland and Fuller both likely out the door this offseason, his role will be increased in 2020.

CHARVARIUS WARD

We’ll just get all of the cornerbacks out of the way now, how about that? Charvarius Ward was brought in last season as an undrafted free agent and while he had his moments as a rookie in 2018, he was largely forgettable.

That’s why when he became a respectable corner in 2019 and held his own against good receiver after good receiver, fans started to take notice. His legacy in 2018 was grabbing the interception that would have sent the Chiefs to Super Bowl LIII that was later voided (thanks Dee Ford), but his legacy to Chiefs Kingdom after 2019 was becoming a solid corner in a league where stopping the pass can win you a lot of important games.

Ward started all 16 games in 2019 and had 74 total tackles while defensing ten passes and picking off the ball twice. He wasn’t the best corner in the league, but he locked in when needed most. The Chiefs lucked out with Charvarius Ward turning into what he has.