The Kansas City Chiefs this past April spent their first three picks in the 2026 NFL draft on defensive players, two of them being used to select two first-rounders. In an effort to bolster that side of the football, the Chiefs traded up from No. 9 to No. 6 to secure standout cornerback Mansoor Delane out of LSU.
Considering that context, it came as something of a surprise when the Chiefs listed Delane as a backup cornerback on the team's first unofficial depth chart, which Kansas City released on Tuesday, Aug. 11.
Chiefs issue their first unofficial depth chart of the 2026 season. I beseech you all once again, please no wagering. pic.twitter.com/E9nXKu7MDt
— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) August 11, 2026
"The Chiefs currently list Nohl Williams and L'Jarius Sneed as starters at cornerback with backups Mansoor Delane and Kristian Fulton," Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest reported via X.
It is both fair and important to note that the initial roster release is prone to change, both because of future injury and performance. As Derrick noted, it is more of a snapshot of the current status of the roster rather than a hierarchical listing of personnel that fans should take with a grain of salt.
Mansoor Delane's shoulder injury likely biggest factor in designation as backup CB
Delane is battling a shoulder injury that has kept him out of full-contact drills for weeks, which is certainly the primary factor keeping him off the first-team defense as of this point in camp. It also makes way for veteran L'Jarius Sneed, who has all the past experience needed to gain the trust of the coaching staff.
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo noted that it is too early to determine who the starters will be and that plenty of factors will come into play over the next month-plus before Kansas City opens the campaign against the Denver Broncos as part of Monday Night Football on September 14.
"Neither [Sneed] or Delane has really practiced for a month," Spagnuolo said when speaking to Chiefs reporters Tuesday morning. "So we're way down the road on all that. Health will be a big issue. Continuity, how many reps they've had going in, and we'll see when we get to the first game."
Spagnuolo added that the veteran statuses of Sneed and Williams may be why the organization decided to list those two as first-team CBs, with Delane and Fulton slotting into the second-team positions.
That said, Delane is going to need to get healthy and earn significant padded reps with the defense if he expects to start on opening night at Arrowhead Stadium, regardless of his draft position. And to this point in the summer, that level of availability from Delane has not existed.
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