Kansas City Chiefs fans have plenty of concerns about their team’s secondary. Cornerback Trent McDuffie is a Pro-Bowl level player in the slot, but this year he was forced to play out on the boundary, and on top of that he’s due for an extension. Two other members of the secondary, safety Bryan Cook and cornerback Joshua William, are up for free agency this offseason, and the Chiefs don’t really have the cap space to pay both of them.
But the Chiefs may already have an answer in house, according to Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus. He did a complete rundown on early breakout players for every team in the league, and his choice for the Chiefs was cornerback Noel Williams.
It’s not a name a lot of Chiefs fans know all that well. Williams had a quiet season until the last few games, when he was given a chance to do a more complete audition. The cornerback showed out and played well, showing the kind of physicality that Chiefs fans have gotten used to from their cornerbacks.
In many ways, Williams is typical of the Chiefs cornerbacks who step into a bigger role. He was drafted in the third round out of California, so he has some credentials, and he’s not just some Day 3 player who punched above his weight when he played last season.
Moreover, Williams graded out well in PFF’s metrics. He was solid in coverage with a grade of 75.6, and he broke up four passes in his brief late season cameo. At 6’1” 200 pounds, the cornerback has the size to play with the level of physicality that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo tends to look for when he develops secondary players. Williams also graded out above average as a pass rusher, so he could be used as a blitzer, and his run grade of 74.7 was also above average.
The cornerback will have to grow up fast as a player, however. Until now the Chiefs have had the luxury to ease players like Williams into the lineup, but that’s not going to be the case this year. Several of the players who helped mentored him will most likely be gone in free agency, and continuity and familiarity could be an issue as a result.
There’s also a good chance the Chiefs will draft for the secondary, which means Williams will have competition to crack the lineup. He seems feisty enough to be the kind of player who welcomes that, and hopefully that feistiness will transfer to the field next year, too.