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Another Chiefs Starter's Big Injury Forces Brett Veach's Hand Ahead of Trade Deadline

By Joseph Grassano

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach talks to the media at the 2024 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach talks to the media at the 2024 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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The Kansas City Chiefs have been plagued with injuries since before the regular season started. It all began with wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown injuring his sternoclavicular joint.

Since then, they have lost Rashee Rice (WR), Juju Smith Schuster (WR), Isiah Pacheco (RB), and Jaylen Watson (CB) all to long-term injuries. This week, cornerback Nazeeh Johnson was added to that list with a concussion against the Los Vegas Raiders.

While concussions aren't necessarily long-term injuries for football, they can have long-lasting effects on a player's life if they return too soon. That's why it's important that players like Johnson who suffer a concussion take their time and don't rush through protocol.

Johnson and Watson's injuries leave the Chiefs extremely thin at cornerback. Currently, Joshua Williams, Keith Taylor Jr., and Christian Roland-Wallace are the potential replacements for Johnson.

Roland-Wallace is listed as a nickel/slot cornerback on the Chiefs' depth chart, so his replacement for Johnson is not as likely since slot and outside corner are played vastly differently.

Taylor Jr. was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2021, where he played 34 games and made five starts. In that time, he gathered 67 tackles, one forced fumble, and six pass deflections.

In 2021, Taylor Jr. allowed 70.6% of passes to be completed against him. Then, in 2022, he allowed 68.6% of passes to be completed against him.

Williams, on the other hand, was a fourth-round selection of the Chiefs in 2022. Since 2022, Williams has played in 40 games, gathering 62 tackles, one interception, and 12 pass deflections.

Williams has done a nice job shutting down opposing receivers in his time with the Chiefs. In 2022, Williams allowed 56.0% of passes to be completed against him. While in 2023, he allowed only 44.8% of passes to be completed against him.

Although Williams seems to present an upside, counting on him may not be the wisest decision based on his limited snap counts in recent weeks. This could force Brett Veach to make another trade, this time for a cornerback. Potential options could include Jaguars veteran Ronald Darby or Panthers star Jaycee Horn.

Regardless, it's clear an upgrade is necessary with the trade deadline just over one week away.

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