Chamarri Conner Playing Confidently Late in Rookie Season

A season ago, the Kansas City Chiefs' defense relied on a multitude of unproven rookies to help carry the unit to the Super Bowl. While those rookies are now sophomores and performing well, there's still one young talent having a lot asked of him in his first year.

Defensive back Chamarri Conner, a fourth-round pick, is getting more put on his plate as the season goes on. Some of it is by design, with the rest being a result of the war of attrition. 

There was no greater example of this than the Divisional Round. In the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills, starter Mike Edwards (who was already filling in for Bryan Cook) was knocked out of the game with a concussion. That forced Conner to play all but one snap for Steve Spagnuolo's defense. He responded with a career-high 10 tackles and a forced fumble.

It's been a long time coming for Conner, something defensive backs coach Dave Merritt alluded to near the end of the regular season. With the AFC Championship Game quickly arriving, Spagnuolo expanded on that when he spoke to the media this week. 

“Really proud of Chamarri and really in the way he’s developed," Spagnuolo said. "When we came here, I can remember back in OTAs, it was like, ‘Woah, this is going to take a while,’ because he wasn’t used to some things that we were doing, and you know we’re pretty multiple. I’ll tell you what, he has grinded at it, the vets around him have kind of just pulled him along, the LJ’s (L’Jarius Sneed) and even Trent (McDuffie) and certainly Justin Reid and Mike Edwards back there. 

"He really — we kind of spoon fed him early. We’ve given him piece by piece and then he moved to nickel, and we could see he could do some things there. Then he was out there with the guys, when you’re here as a rookie you’re with the twos and the threes in the walkthrough. Then all of sudden, he’s up there with the guys and I think that gave him some confidence. He does play fast, you all see that, he plays fast and he’s physical – I’ll take that all the time.”

Conner's rookie campaign has been filled with change. In the first eight games of the season, he was primarily a special teams contributor and averaged just under six snaps per game on defense. Over the next four contests, he saw his role increase a bit but was still a very minor supporting piece. Once Cook went down with an ankle injury, his workload saw a spike. In his last seven games, Conner is averaging over 45 snaps per game. Even when taking out Week 18, that number is still a healthy 40. 

Coming into the NFL Draft, Conner's versatility was a major selling point. That's ended up the case during his rookie campaign, and not just on special teams. Pro Football Focus' tracking data estimates that Conner has logged 180 snaps at free safety, 137 in the slot and 77 in the box. Earlier in the year, he was thrown onto the field in sub-packages, so that makes good sense.

The confidence is showing for Conner on the field. PFF made him one of the highest-graded Chiefs in the Divisional Round with a sparkling 90.2 composite grade, as well as an 82.2 coverage mark. The eye test and traditional box score also back it up. This may not have been the exact arc Kansas City envisioned for its Day 3 draft pick last April, although the one he's followed has led to production nonetheless. The coaching of Spagnuolo and Merritt has helped Conner become a very confident and quick-thinking player. Entering the biggest game of his young career, Spagnuolo says he's also gained those traits thanks to his teammates assisting him along the way. 

“Very much so," Spagnuolo said. "He’s getting a little bit more vocal, that wasn’t his big thing, but he is now – because he’s confident in what he’s saying and seeing. I think our guys like playing around him and trust him, that’s a big thing.”