Sneed’s Shadow Evaporates as PFF Names Chiefs NFL’s 2nd-Best Secondary

Nearly 16 months after Brett Veach dealt L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans, the former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback declared himself eager to remind everybody who he is. Meanwhile, after Pro Football Focus named Kansas City the NFL’s second-best defensive backfield, the Chiefs don’t need to remind anyone who they are.

Sans Sneed, the group’s most prominent name from 2020-23, the Chiefs’ secondary on Tuesday earned the league’s No. 2 ranking behind Baltimore.

“While the Chiefs may lack household names, their secondary is a cohesive unit that performs at a high level,” wrote analyst John Kosko, a former safety at the University of Kansas. “Trent McDuffie leads the group and is arguably the NFL’s best cornerback, topping all players at the position in advanced coverage grade over the past two seasons.”

McDuffie’s stellar play over his first two seasons allowed Veach to trade Sneed to Tennessee for a 2025 third-round pick and a swap of seventh-rounders in 2024. Kansas City wound up drafting edge rusher Ashton Gillotte in April with that third-rounder. Sneed missed 12 games with the Titans due to a quadriceps injury.

Sneed’s replacement in Kansas City, Jaylen Watson, also missed most of the 2024 season, but the cornerback is fully recovered from his broken ankle. Watson (71.6) and strong safety Jaden Hicks (75.7) earned solid coverage grades from PFF, another primary reason for the Chiefs’ No. 2 ranking.

Hicks, in line to begin the year in the starting lineup after the Chiefs allowed Justin Reid to sign with New Orleans in free agency, intercepted three passes as a rookie last year. He joined the Chiefs out of Washington State as a fourth-round selection in the 2024 draft.

The Chiefs also made two significant additions to their secondary in the offseason. First, they signed veteran cornerback Kristian Fulton, poaching him from the division-rival Chargers. Then, they selected cornerback Nohl Williams in the third round out of Cal.

Fulton, who intercepted Patrick Mahomes last season, figures to allow McDuffie to better match up with opponents. A 5-11, 197-pound cornerback out of LSU, the 26-year-old Fulton spent last season with Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers after Mike Vrabel and the Titans selected him in the second round of the 2020 draft – the same year Kansas City drafted Sneed.

Williams joined the Chiefs after Veach aggressively moved up 10 spots in the third round to draft him 85th overall. The Chiefs gave their No. 95 selection to New England as well as a 2026 fourth-rounder. Ironically, that future fourth-round pick came to Kansas City after the team traded All-Pro guard and former New England Super Bowl champion Joe Thuney to the Bears in March.

The Chiefs are also loaded with depth in their secondary, something that’ll flesh itself out during the Missouri humidity over the next five weeks. When the Chiefs make their final roster reduction on Aug. 26, they’ll have difficult decisions among cornerbacks Joshua Williams, Chris Roland-Wallace and Nazeeh Johnson.

In the middle, Bryan Cook is the starting free safety – part of Veach’s masterpiece 2022 draft that included McDuffie and Watson, as well as Isiah Pacheco, George Karlaftis and Leo Chenal. Behind Cook and Hicks at safety are Chamarri Conner, Deon Bush and veteran free agent Mike Edwards.

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