The Kansas City Chiefs' young cornerback room might be more than just a two-man show. While Nohl Williams and Mansoor Delane are stealing most of the attention — and rightfully so — Kansas City's new nickelback also deserves some flowers.
Watching L'Jarius Sneed fall with a lingering knee injury and be placed on Injured Reserve wasn't much of a concern, given how much he was struggling. There were, however, questions about who'd take his place.
Notably, Christian Roland-Wallace has done more than enough to ease those doubts. Over the past two games, the USC product has accumulated 10 total tackles, including one for loss, two batted passes, and has not given up a single reception in coverage against the Denver Broncos.
Chris Roland-Wallace's Week 8 performance proved his worth to Chiefs defense
Roland-Wallace has been solid in a limited role, but he's proving that he can make much more than just some splash plays. He's playing consistent football in the slot, and he's looked much better than the struggling Chiefs veteran.
It's become painfully evident that L'Jarius Sneed is no longer the star he was in his first stint with the organization. Pro Football Focus gives him a 36.2 grade, the third-worst among 102 eligible cornerbacks, and he's given up the most receptions on the Chiefs (36) for 10.5 yards per catch and a 110 passer rating allowed.
Conversely, Roland-Wallace is holding opposing quarterbacks and receiver duos to just 4.3 yards per reception, and he already has six run stops and 13 solo tackles. He's a force against the running game and a physical guy who can disrupt the catch point.
The Chiefs' defense is still a work in progress. The pass rush has left plenty to be desired, and even with George Karlaftis playing the best ball of his career, that might continue to be the case until they finally move on from Chris Jones and his massive contract.
The secondary, however, has been better than expected. Losing a player of Trent McDuffie's caliber was expected to be a catastrophe, but Steve Spagnuolo and secondary coach Dave Merritt have found the right combination of guys to limit splash plays on defense.
Injuries are the absolute worst part of the game, but they can also lead to some happy accidents. That might as well be the case with Sneed and Roland-Wallace. Even when the veteran is back to full strength, the Chiefs should keep leaning on the third-year pro as the starting nickel.
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