The Kansas City Chiefs made a surprise move earlier this week, placing Omarr Norman-Lott on injured reserve and adding corner Kevin Knowles to the active roster according to their official X account. Replacing an interior lineman with a defensive back is what captured most of the initial attention around the swap. However, there are undeniably advantages of the move, including taking pressure off rookie Nohl Williams.
Williams' emergence as a defensive contributor has been a pleasant surprise, as he was initially expected to be mainly a special teams contributor this season. He's continued to play significant snaps on specials (at least 15 in each of the last three games, including 21 in Week 6), and adding Knowles could ease some of that workload to let Williams focus on his defensive responsibilities.
Chiefs Rookie Corner Nohl Williams Will Benefit From Surprise Roster Move
Williams has continued to play at a high level with the 7th-best PFF grade of all eligible corners. It hasn't been an easy path with Kansas City facing A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Malik Nabers, and Amon Ra St. Brown in the first weeks of the season. Still, the rookie has slotted perfectly into the defense of Steve Spagnuolo, giving the Chiefs what appears to be an important building block.
This continues a trend of GM Brett Veach continually finding ways to reinvent the secondary throughout the Chiefs' dynastic run. Bargain free agent signings and surprise draft pick gems have become expected for the fan base. Speaking to just how elite the organization has been from the top down.
The Chiefs have previously elevated Knowles to be active for three of the first four games of the season, and he played a significant role on special teams in each. He played zero defensive snaps.
Week | Special Teams Snaps | ST Snap Share | Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|
Week 2 (vs PHI) | 10 | 41.7% | 1 |
Week 3 (at NYG) | 11 | 52.4% | 3 |
Week 4 (vs BAL) | 14 | 53.8% | 0 |
Kansas City's secondary is coming off an incredible game against the Raiders, giving every reason for the franchise to protect its current core. It is hard to remember a time over the last two regular seasons when the Chiefs appeared this impressive on both sides of the ball.
With focus remaining on Super Bowl expectations, lessening Williams' snaps helps protect this and is the right decision for a franchise that continues to find surprise gems. While fans should still expect an addition to the defensive line over the next weeks of the season, it makes sense for Knowles to remain rostered and Williams to slowly transition away from special teams.