Undrafted rookie keeping Chiefs cornerback competition interesting
The Kansas City Chiefs are dealing with some attrition at the cornerback position during training camp and it is leading to some expanded opportunities for an undrafted rookie. By all accounts, that undrafted rookie seems to be taking full advantage.A total of four players at the cornerback position didn't practice on Thursday. L'Jarius Sneed remains […]
The Kansas City Chiefs are dealing with some attrition at the cornerback position during training camp and it is leading to some expanded opportunities for an undrafted rookie. By all accounts, that undrafted rookie seems to be taking full advantage.
A total of four players at the cornerback position didn't practice on Thursday. L'Jarius Sneed remains out of practice with swelling in his knee. Nazeeh Johnson is on injured reserve after tearing his ACL. Reese Taylor is dealing with a hamstring injury. Jaylen Watson was also excused from practice on Thursday for personal reasons.
Kansas State's Ekow Boye-Doe, who signed with the team following a tryout at rookie minicamp, has been the primary beneficiary of all the injuries and absences. Upon his signing with the Chiefs, Wildcats head coach Chris Klieman told KSNT Sports Director Glenn Kinley that Boye-Doe, "might be one of their fastest players."
That speed from the Ghana native has been on full display during training camp. After a few standout practice sessions with pass breakups against QB Blaine Gabbert and several speedy receivers on the second-team defense, Boye-Doe earned an opportunity to work with the first-team defense. He started opposite Trent McDuffie on Thursday, alongside rookie draft pick Nic Jones, who was getting some time in the slot.
A few days prior to this development, Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo volunteered Boye-Doe's name as a player who could carve out a role with Johnson heading to injured reserve.
"All of those guys are playing really well," Spagnuolo said. "Nic (Jones) is one you brought up. Ekow (Boye-Doe), I thought, had a really good day the other day. (Dicaprio) Bootle always gives us everything that he's got."
Ultimately, somebody will have to step up and take advantage with Johnson heading to injured reserve, in addition to Sneed's ailing knee. Many thought that somebody could be second-year CB Joshua Williams, who has been alternating between reps with the first-team and second-team defense.
How Boye-Doe takes advantage in the coming weeks and the preseason, could prove to make the team's decisions at the position much more difficult.
"Somebody is going to have to surface, that's for sure," Spagnuolo said. "We do have some guys with experience now. That would have been a little different a year ago, right?"
3 defensive standouts from Chiefs training camp so far
The Kansas City Chiefs completed their tenth open training camp practice at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri on Thursday. The players are starting to get back into the swing of real football again, which also means that several of those players are beginning to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. […]
Featured image via Denny Medley – USA TODAY Sports
