Chiefs Starter Benched After Meltdown During Raiders Game
By Joe Summers
The Chiefs' secondary has been an issue ever since CB Jaylen Watson suffered a potentially season-ending injury and one player specifically has been the brunt of the problem.
Third-year corner Nazeeh Johnson, originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, has been a mess in recent weeks. He rebounded nicely against the Panthers, yet it's become clear that he's the defense's largest weakness.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo recognized it and sat Johnson down early in the Black Friday game against the Raiders.
Chiefs CB Nazeeh Johnson Benched During Raiders Game
During that red zone stop, the Chiefs replaced Nazeeh Johnson with Keith Taylor, who did a nice job 1-on-1 on Jakobi Meyers, leading to Chris Jones' sack of Aidan O'Connell.
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) November 29, 2024
Early in the first quarter, Johnson gave up a deep sideline gain to Jakobi Meyers. He was quickly benched in favor of Keith Taylor and later replaced by Joshua Williams.
Based on these actions so quickly in the contest, it's obvious Spagnuolo realized Johnson isn't suited to handle the role he was given. After playing nearly 100% of the snaps for three straight weeks, Johnson proved he needs reinforcements.
After trading L'Jarius Sneed, one of the biggest questions in the offseason concerned his replacement. Watson was excellent before he got hurt but now that he's gone, Trent McDuffie has been the only Chiefs' corner who has played well.
Even then, you can see the pressure mounting on him. McDuffie has uncharacteristically given up long gains repeatedly in recent weeks. He needs someone to step up but to this point, no one has.
Johnson deserves another opportunity and has played well overall, particularly considering he was drafted so late. If he doesn't improve though, the Chiefs are right to look elsewhere for help.
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