Chiefs 53 Man Roster Projection: Defensive Backs

With the 2021 NFL preseason drawing to a close soon, the regular season is just around the corner. These next couple of weeks become even more crucial for coaching staffs and front offices alike. In just under a week, NFL rosters will drop from 80 to 53 players.

Who are the fringe players worth keeping on the roster? How many individuals should be available at certain positions? All of those questions will need to be answered. Other factors like game film, injuries to other players, being able to play special teams or not, or simply locker room leadership could help make the decisions somewhat easier.

Over the next week and a half, we will be going position by position to forecast our projections for who will and will not make the Kansas City Chiefs 53 man roster for 2021. We will also note which players we believe will stick around on the practice squad, if they cannot fit into the initial 53 man roster. Today we will be focusing on the Chiefs defensive backs.

There were a total of 16 defensive backs on Kansas City’s depth chart following the last preseason game. They listed nine players at cornerback and seven players at safety. There are many worthy depth players worth giving extra attention to. However, not all can make the cut. In fact, two defensive backs were already cut earlier today, on Monday. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, safety Devon Key and cornerback Zayne Anderson have both been waived. Those are not major surprises to this point, and we did not project them to make the roster. Although, I think each could be back on the practice squad if they go unclaimed.

Under The Radar

Let’s start off with the Kansas City cornerbacks. With Anderson being waived earlier today, that leaves eight cornerbacks to decide from. That includes L’Jarius Sneed, Charvarius Ward, Mike Hughes, Deandre Baker, Rashad Fenton, BoPete Keyes, Dicaprio Bootle and Chris Lammons.

A few years ago, the Chiefs cornerback room was the laughing stock at that position in the NFL. Kansas City could have taken anybody off the street to man those spots and received just as much production. Fast forward to 2021, and this group has put together a solid mix of talent that complements each other well. And it has impressively come with little to no high investment in the cornerback room with premium draft picks or free agent signings.

Like the defensive line, this year’s cornerbacks could be better than people think in Kansas City. Although, my expectations are not quite as high for this group. And that is just simply due to the position they play. Consistency becomes a lot more challenging when you are getting thrown at 35+ times a game.

The trio of Sneed, Ward and Hughes will garner the most snaps. Sneed had arguably the best rookie season among cornerbacks last year. He can defend both outside and in the slot. He can blitz efficiently, as we saw numerous times. To boot, his speed and sticky coverage were game changers for the Chiefs pass defense. On the flip side, Ward has gained the team’s trust. He is still working on consistently sticking with opposing receivers downfield. His coverage has become well rounded underneath. And finally, Hughes did not necessarily hold high expectations entering training camp. Injuries have largely kept him off the field throughout his career. After acquiring him in a trade with the Vikings, Kansas City has breathed new life into Hughes. The UCF product looks like a natural fit in this scheme that utilizes man coverage. Do not count out his speed or hitting power as well.

Experience Over Youth

The final two cornerbacks that I have the Chiefs keeping are Baker and Fenton. Fenton has been a decent situational player for Kansas City over the last couple of years. He provides some versatility and has the length that the team loves to employ. Baker came to the team last year. The former first round pick of the Giants has looked nothing but smooth within the Chiefs defense. He is another guy who can play that man coverage role to a tee, while also being able to press at the line of scrimmage. His preseason showing could not have gone better.

I believe Keyes and Bootle could be serviceable players this year, if the team needed them to be. And I think the team is excited about both of them. They just are not finished products quite yet. Keyes still needs development on how to play the ball while it is in the air. Additionally, Bootle will need to refine his technique after signing with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent this spring. I have both making the practice squad.

FINAL CORNERBACK DEPTH CHART

Starters: Sneed, Ward, Hughes

Rotational Players: Baker, Fenton

Practice Squad: Keyes, Bootle, Anderson

Let’s move on to the safeties. With Key being waived early today, that leaves six players to choose from at the position. That includes Tyrann Mathieu, Daniel Sorensen, Juan Thornhill, Armani Watts, Marlon Character and Rodney Clemons.

Do It All DB

Other than possibly Chris Jones, there is no one more important to the Chiefs defense than Mathieu. He can play single high, free safety, the nickel, out wide at cornerback, or even down by the line of scrimmage. His leadership, toughness and playmaking ability all drive the defense to work and continue to improve. He has done nothing but succeed since signing with the Chiefs in 2019.

Including both regular season and playoffs, Mathieu has generated 25 passes defensed and 11 interceptions in coverage with the Chiefs. His routinely executed reps arguably make this his best career stretch to this point. The only real question is, will he be receiving a contract extension?

It seems like a no brainer, right? There are too many positives to count that he brings to the table. And as long as it seems like he has been in the league, Mathieu is still only 29 years of age. It has been a little surprising to see him not receive an extension to this point in the offseason. Yet, there are other big names that Kansas City has to plan out contracts for. Hopefully this is not his last season with the Chiefs. But either way, you cannot expect anything less than what we have seen from Mathieu, especially in a contract year.

Opponent’s Sore Spot

A couple of years ago, I would have argued that Sorensen would have been a cut candidate on this team. That was the year where Thornhill was a second round pick. Thankfully for Sorensen, the team changed defensive coordinators, allowing Steve Spagnuolo to take over. That has done nothing but wonders for this safety.

He has been put in more positions to succeed. Spags has used him as a “buck” linebacker on occasion. Other times, Sorensen has played man coverage in the slot or defended from a natural safety position. In the process, the production, confidence and ceiling has all increased for Sorensen over the last couple of years. He has truly become a pest for opposing quarterbacks and offenses.

Bounce Back Year?

Thornhill enjoyed a stellar start to his NFL career in his rookie season. A torn ACL just before the playoffs that season ended it with a thud. In his return afterwards, Thornhill struggled to find that same confidence. His coverage was shaky over the middle of the field. He became hesitant and the timing was lost. Therefore, Thornhill saw his role reduced last season.

Some of that carried over to this preseason again. Understandably, his play has improved with more and more reps. He was playing a great deal of snaps with the second and third stringers. But, the team’s belief in Thornhill has yet to waiver. His play can become aggressive and well calculated, when right. If he can continue to stay in that headspace, the Virginia product will eventually be back to the player we saw in 2019.

Final Spot

We already know Key has been waived. I think he will be back on the practice squad. Beforehand though, his training camp performance was giving him a strong chance at making the roster. The results were not quite as favorable in preseason games. Thus, the final safety spot is a pretty easy one to decide on.

Watts has been a tremendous special teams player on every unit. And every time we have seen him play defense in the preseason, his defended passes and interception numbers continue to climb. We have yet to see him get an opportunity when the games count on defense. If need be, I would be comfortable in letting him show what he has to offer for a full game at safety.

FINAL SAFETY DEPTH CHART:

SAF1: Mathieu

SAF2: Sorensen

SAF3: Thornhill

SAF4: Watts

Practice Squad: Key

That will wrap up our 2021 FPC Chiefs 53 man roster projections. We should also mention there is no surprise at the specialists positions. Long snapper James Winchester, kicker Harrison Butker and punter Tommy Townsend were in no danger of losing their jobs.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles in the leadup to the regular season opener. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.