The Kansas City Chiefs' secondary will look almost entirely different this season. Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Bryan Cook are gone, and, barring a major surprise, star rookie Mansoor Delane will be their new CB1.
However, that's pretty much where all certainty ends. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will have to work overtime to figure out the best combination for his defensive backfield, and there are more questions than answers right now.
Considering that, the position battle for the CB2 job cannot be overlooked. That spot might be the weakest link in a once-championship-caliber defense, and making the right call could make-or-break this team's revenge campaign.
The Chiefs have to get things right at cornerback
As things stand now, the Chiefs will have to decide between Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton, both of whom will enter their second year with the team. Fulton signed a two-year, $20 million contract last offseason, but was often hurt and didn't make much of an impact despite making starting-caliber money. As for Williams, he showed strong potential as a rookie, but he played sparingly.
While Fulton is making the most money, Williams looks more promising on the boundary. Pro Football Focus gave him a 75.4 grade as a rookie, the 15th-highest in the league. He allowed an opposing passer rating of 83.4, and while he gave up 11.7 yards per reception, he produced one sack and only missed 7.7% of his tackles.
As for Fulton, he started two of just eight games played and failed to record a single interception. He only gave up 10 receptions on 18 targets, but the sample size is limited, and he's never played a full season.
The Chiefs also have Kader Kohou and Jadon Canady to handle slot duties, and that's another crucial decision to make. Neither is a big-profile guy, and perhaps adding a proven veteran to the mix, like bringing back L'Jarius Sneed after two years, might be a wise decision.
Whatever the case, this team still has plenty of hard work to do before getting on the field in Week 1. They used to rally behind their defense to get to the final game of the season, and after spending most of their offseason resources on that side of the field, the stakes will never be higher.
For years, Steve Spagnuolo has been lauded as one of the greatest defensive coordinators of all time. As such, he must solve this puzzle if he wants to finally get another shot at being 'the man' and getting a team of his own.
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