The Kansas City Chiefs won't have much time to get ready for the red-hot Dallas Cowboys. Moreover, the Chiefs will also be down three key soldiers, as offensive guard Trey Smith, tight end Noah Gray, and cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace will all be out with injuries.
Notably, that might be a blessing in disguise for rookie cornerback Nohl Williams, who hasn't played as much as Chiefs fans would like so far. Roland-Wallace has played in all 11 games this season, and with him out of the picture, Kansas City might have no choice but to turn to Williams.
Nohl Williams Could Force Chiefs' Hand vs. Cowboys
So far, Roland-Wallace has played 190 snaps on defense. He's fourth among Chiefs cornerbacks behind Chamarri Conner, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson, and he has 42 more snaps than Nohl Williams. Clearly, his absence will leave Kansas City with plenty of snaps to pass around.
Despite the limited playing time, Williams has shown signs of promise, and the fans have called for him to get on the field more often. Instead, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has turned to the oft-injured Kristian Fulton more frequently, which has been nothing short of a failed experiment.
Williams has been a healthy scratch in the past couple of games, all while Fulton has played in nine and one snap, respectively. When asked about that decision, Spagnuolo hinted at Williams only being out there in certain matchups and situations:
“We can’t get everybody out there,” Spagnuolo said. “We had some packages for Nohl, and we didn’t really get to him. There’s only so many corners out there at one time — especially when we didn’t play Trent as much at nickel. We’ll see how the reps go this coming week, but both of those guys are probably going to play at some point for us.
Of course, this wouldn't be the first time a team has chosen to take things slowly with a rookie. Head coach Andy Reid only plays individuals if he's confident in their ability to contribute. Then again, despite the small sample size, the rookie third-round selection has posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 72.6, seemingly proving that he's ready for the spotlight.
So far, he's only given up eight catches on 15 targets for 61 yards. He's allowing just 7.6 yards per target and a passer rating of 63.5 when targeted. The Chiefs' secondary could reach new heights if that success can be maintained with an increased snap count.
Fulton has missed most of the season with injuries, and while Roland-Wallace has also done enough merits to get on the field — he has a 78.8 overall grade PFF — the table is set for Williams to prove what he's made of. And if he can surpass expectations, Chiefs Kingdom will feel more than thankful on Thursday.