In Case Of Emergency: Chiefs’ Backup Plan At Cornerback – While a great deal has been discussed regarding the Kansas City Chiefs’ lack of depth at CB, few solutions have been presented, aside from acquiring different players. If the Chiefs stick with the existing group, and deal with an injury, or inadequate play, they do have the pieces in place to weather that storm, at least for a while. Despite less than ideal depth, their emergency plans seem fairly straight forward.
Plan A – The Honey Badger
When Tyrann Mathieu was first signed, it seemed like a lot of money for a safety. Once other signings started to come down the pipeline, it became obvious that the market had simply rebounded, from last year. At the time, however, I speculated that the size of Mathieu’s contract found its basis in his ability to play slot corner. His talent, and leadership, as a safety are undeniable, but fans forget, he’s probably the 2nd best CB, on the roster. Chiefs have a variety of options, at safety, who can replace Mathieu much better than Mark Fields, or Rashaad Fenton, could replace Fuller. If Something goes wrong, at CB, look for Chiefs to actually upgrade the position, by shifting Mathieu there, albeit at the expense of safety play.
Plan B – Keith Reaser
There seem to be two camps on Reaser, either he’s a good AAF player, who’ll never be good enough for the NFL, or he’s turned a corner and ready to be a a quality NFL starter. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. You wouldn’t want Reaser playing a ton of man coverage, but he is a smart player and that matters, in Steve Spagnuolo’s system. Playing a lot of Zone-Match coverage, Chiefs’ secondary is extremely dependent on players knowing and executing their responsibilities. Players, with good football IQ, who are sound tacklers, need not be elite athletes to function, in this system. While Reaser doesn’t have the upside, or youth, of some of Chiefs’ other options, he’s quite possibly the most prepared to step in, and play, at an adequate level, early in the season.
Plan C – Morris Claiborne
After a lackluster career in Dallas, Claiborne finally blossomed into a, slightly, above average CB, for the New York Jets. Whether it’s his age, history, or contract demands, at the moment, Claiborne remains a free agent. If he is willing to hold out for a better contract, like Bashaud Breeland tried to do, last year. Chiefs should keep his number on speed dial. With dreams of championship glory, at stake, overpaying, for an average CB, is still a better option than trotting out a fifth string guy, for 70% of the snaps, and hoping that he doesn’t get picked on too much. Since Claiborne doesn’t seem destined for a multi-year deal, I can understand why they haven’t brought him in already, but if it looks like another team is about to get him, they might need to strike while the iron is hot. Wait too long, and plan C goes from a solid veteran, to a late round rookie. That’s not a gamble Chiefs can afford.
Despite obvious concerns, about the depth of the CB group, the Chiefs have a number of solid options to get by. When training camp finally arrives, fans should be watching the CB group closely. Particularly who plays the 2nd string nickel CB spot. That will be a good indicator of how Chiefs really feel about their depth, and what, if any, trades might be made to shore up the position. For now, adequate options exist, but if one of these back-up plans fails, Chiefs will need to make some sort of move. There’s just too much at stake, this year. Go Chiefs.
Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne
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