Travis Kelce gives young KC Chiefs cornerback a major vote of confidence in wake of Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson departures
Travis Kelce believes Chiefs second-year CB Nohl Williams is next man up amidst the departures of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce is back for another year with the team, but some of his teammates from the past four seasons won’t be, which means they’ll have to rely on young players to step up.
The Chiefs traded away CB Trent McDuffie to the Rams. Guys like CB Jaylen Watson, S Bryan Cook, LB Leo Chenal, RB Isiah Pacheco, and CB Joshua Williams have all signed elsewhere. It’s particularly jarring to see the team’s two starting cornerbacks, McDuffie and Watson, leave to team up in the NFC West with the Los Angeles Rams.
Speaking on the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, Travis Kelce discussed with Jason Kelce why it’s bittersweet to see those guys leave.
“There were a few guys who signed some big contracts,” Travis said. “Trent McDuffie went to the Rams. My guy, Jaylen Watson, paper cups, went to the Rams. They got two unbelievable corners and guys that are gonna fucking come into work every single day. And I’m happy both of those guys got paid. And then on top of that, we got Bryan Cook, beat cook over to Cincinnati. He’s back home, representing Cincinnati, in the hometown, for the Bengals, also got paid. And obviously you’re happy for these guys, but man, you hate to see him go because of how much you love playing with them and all the blood, sweat, and tears that you put into the offseason and during the season with them. So, it’s tough to see these guys go elsewhere, but I’m happy these guys are making, you know, lifetime money.”
Jason was genuinely blown away by some of the decisions the Chiefs had to make on defense, but Travis has all the faith in the world in the coaching staff. He even shouted out one young player as someone he expects to step up and become a starter
Nohl Williams gets a vote of confidence from Travis Kelce as a player who will step up in 2026
Yes, it’s jarring to see Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson walk out the door. They’ll surely continue to add to their cornerback room throughout the offseason. However, Travis Kelce feels they’ve got the coaching staff and all the right pieces in place for some guys to step up in place of those departing stars. He even gave one of those players a shoutout.
“You ain’t lying,” Travis said. “And you know, in Spags (Steve Spagnuolo), we trust baby. He’s unbelievable. I know Dave Merritt, our DBs coach, is unbelievable at getting the guys going over there and understanding the system. He’s been with him since he was in New York, and he’s been with Spags since he was in New York. So they’re quite the duo, and we still have some guys in that room that can play some ball. Now, I know they’re gonna have to step up and become more of an every-down corner, but I’m excited to see it happen, man. One being Nohl Williams.”
A third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Cal, Nohl Williams was quietly the best rookie cornerback in football last season. He entered the league with a reputation as a ballhawking corner after leading the FBS in interceptions in 2024. According to PFF, in 273 coverage snaps, Williams allowed just a 55.6% completion rating, the second-best mark of the entire draft class behind his Cal teammate, Titans CB Marcus Harris. Williams also tied for the second-best forced incompletion rate at 19% and allowed just a single touchdown on the season. The one area he’ll need to improve in 2026 is penalties. He had six accepted penalties on the season, with two declined or offsetting penalties. He also didn’t come away with any interceptions, but managed four passes broken up.
All-in-all, the foundation is there for Williams after a strong rookie season. It’s no small thing that Kelce believes he can step up to help replace a tandem that collectively earned over $200 million in free agency. The hope is that Williams continues ascending under the tutelage of Spagnuolo and Merritt and can seamlessly slot in as a top cornerback.