Chiefs: Andy Reid is proud of the way one position group has grown over the season
The Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is very proud of how one position group, in particular, has grown over the season, as he should be, based on their play as of late. The Chiefs are the only contending team that plays five to six rookies consistently. Without looking at the numbers, I think […]
The Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is very proud of how one position group, in particular, has grown over the season, as he should be, based on their play as of late.
The Chiefs are the only contending team that plays five to six rookies consistently. Without looking at the numbers, I think it's safe to assume Kansas City has one of the youngest secondary groups in the league.
They started the year rough, as you could expect a group full of rookies and guys that aren't even considered veterans yet. But, they easily got better as the season progressed, and it was very noticeable.
“I thought that they progressively got better throughout the year, in particular kind of down the stretch there," Reid told the media on Tuesday.
"They started getting their hands on balls, (they) were not always interceptions but they were in position to make the play. I thought their tackling improved, the angles that they were taking so that comes down to getting – I look at that and I go, ‘Alright, (that’s the) speed of the game. They’re getting a better feel for that,’ and this will be faster than the other ones, that’s how it works in the playoffs so they’ll have to take another step here.”
This group is extremely young. They start L'Jarius Sneed who is a third-year guy, and Trent McDuffie who is a rookie, then they play Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson at cornerback, both who are rookies, and Bryan Cook at safety, who is also a rookie. Let's also not forget Juan Thornhill in his fourth year and the oldest of them all Justin Reid in his fifth year.
There is one game in particular that stands out and shows the progression of the rookie cornerbacks over the season. In Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills, you could see the rookie cornerbacks struggle against Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, but who doesn't?
Then, as the year went on, you get to the last game of the season against the Raiders and they do pretty well against Davante Adams, Darren Waller, and Hunter Renfrow.
This group is very young and is only getting better the more reps they play together.
Featured Image Via Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
