New Orleans – After losing in the AFC title match against the Bengals of Cincinnati in 2022, the Chiefs of Kansas City entered the off -season with a lot of work to do. More specifically, they had a lot of work to do in the defensive rear field. They had four different starters or high -level contributors entering the free agency, with Charvarius Ward, Tyrann Mathieu, Mike Hughes and Daniel Sorensen, each seeing their contracts expiring at the end of the year.
And because the chiefs had spent so much money and writing capital again re-developed from their offensive line after the previous year Super bowl Loss – sign Joe Thuney, merchant for Orlando Brown Jr., writing Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith – They were going to remedy the background defensive with a budget. There was not much money to throw away.
Thus, the chiefs did something quite unusual: they launched almost all their capital project to the problem. Kansas City succeeded in 10 choice of draft in 2022 and used five on the defensive backs: the corner half of the first round Trent McDuffie, the Security of the second Tour Bryan Cook, the corner of the fourth round Joshua Williams and the seventh corners Tour Jaylen Watson and Nazeeh Johnson.
When you refuse an entire position group in an offseason, there will always be a feeling of pressure, but there is also an opportunity.
“Our coach, he told us from the first day that we are going to do something special for this franchise,” said Watson. “Of course, we did not think it would be to this extent, but it was great. You can come with your brothers, you are not a lonely recruit in the database room. We must all learn together. It was a good thing.
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Three years later, McDuffie is one of the small handles Nfl Best corners. Cook is a starter next to Justin Reid safe. Watson had the best year of his career when he had not been released with an injury, and his return coincided with the defense of Kansas City showing an improvement of the end of the season after a lipstop of mid-year against the pass. And according to McDuffie, it all started during this offseason in 2022.
“To come back to the recruit year, OTA and Minicamp, how much we have gotten, how much we have stuck together, how much everyone really wants each other,” said McDuffie. “I have never been in a place surrounded by people like that, who come every day as a pros and as people who want to improve, but who also want to be successful.”
They all succeeded in various degrees throughout their respective careers, McDuffie being the most decorated among them.
He was an immediate starter and became an All-Pro, making the first team in 2023 and second team in 2024. He showed the ability to play both on the perimeter and in the slit, to cover at a level elite, in Blitz and to play games in the racing game. There is, in short, apparently nothing that he cannot do.
“It’s just a technician, guy,” said Watson. “It does everything in the right direction. In the building, on the land, out of the field. It brings it every day and you see it on the ground.”
Cook, on the other hand, was the third security of the team as a recruit and was a full -time start since, and this season has played a career summit of 90% of defensive shots. Williams was a contributor in rotation for the three years of his career, while Watson began as one, but this season has taken control of the departure position in front of McDuffie and excelled in the role. Johnson, meanwhile, did not play a single defensive cliché in 2022 and missed the 2023 season, but played almost half of the team’s defensive shots this year while filling Watson when he missed time With an injury.
“Everyone brings something different,” said Watson about the group. “Cook is the voice of the play. He knows how to advance everyone. Josh is the one who makes the whole room laugh and keeps the positive energy. And NJ too”
When you have so many players from the same position group in the league at the same time, however, there will naturally be a certain stratification in roles. Not everyone can be on the ground at a time – especially when four of them play the same position. But that apparently did not affect them at all.
“The greatest thing I am grateful is that everyone has stayed together,” said McDuffie. “When five (defensive back) are drafted, you know that some guys will start, some guys only play in certain situations. But during my three years here, my experience is that everyone is a pro. Everyone wants The best for each other and that everyone is waiting for when their moment comes. “
