Chiefs miss out on obvious reunion, putting pressure on Brett Veach

The Kansas City Chiefs defense has taken a small step backward.

After finishing as the second-best defense in yards and points allowed in 2023, Kansas City hasn’t been as stifling through the opening half of the 2024 season.

Some of their slight decline can be explained by recent roster changes in the secondary, as depth behind top cornerback Trent McDuffie has been thinning out quickly. The team traded cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans during the offseason, and former fourth-round pick Jaylen Watson was placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery for a broken tibia and fibula.

The Chiefs were among the more active teams on the trade market, acquiring linebacker Josh Uche from the New England Patriots and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Titans. Still, they were hoping to pull off at least one more trade. 

The Chiefs were in the market for a cornerback before the trade deadline at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, but the deadline came and went without Kansas City making another deal.

Chiefs missed out on another chance to bolster their secondary

Kansas City had a golden opportunity to add to their secondary when the Buffalo Bills released safety Mike Edwards after the trade deadline, but the Chiefs apparently weren’t interested. Edwards is expected to sign with the Titans, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Wednesday.

The reunion with Edwards would have made sense for the Chiefs. Edwards spent the 2023 season in Kansas City and appeared in all 17 of their regular season games. He recorded an interception, five pass defenses, and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

The Chiefs were reportedly interested in acquiring cornerback Marshon Lattimore from the New Orleans Saints, but they were ultimately outbid for the four-time Pro Bowler. The Saints traded Lattimore and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick, a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2025 sixth-round pick.

After Chiefs general manager Brett Veach came up empty-handed, he may just be planning to ride out the season with his current unit. That may be a gamble, however, as teams have begun targeting any cornerback the Chiefs trot out onto the field across from McDuffie.

Even the depleted Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were without star wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, managed to score 24 points on Kansas City’s vaunted defense.

The Chiefs have started cornerback Joshua Williams across from McDuffie, with undrafted free agent Christian Roland-Wallace taking snaps in nickel packages. Second-year safety Nazeeh Johnson and safety Chamarri Conner have also helped alleviate the loss of Sneed and Watson.