Chiefs Cornerback Battle Will Be Fiercest In Training Camp

The Kansas City Chiefs have a lot of spirited competition going on in traning camp, but according to Nate Taylor of ESPN, cornerback is the fiercest battle. That’s because all of the six players fighting for the position are bringing very different personalities to the table, and that makes things especially combative. 

Nohl Williams is one of the combatants, and he’s looking to continue a tradition of physical cornerbacks who have helped win Super Bowl titles 

"It gives me an opportunity to step up and try to fill their shoes," Williams said. "Really, the whole room has got to step up because those are two good guys. You know, I would be lying if [I said the coaching staff] don't expect a lot from me, but I'm ready for it. I'm going to keep preparing."

Then there’s Mansoor Delane. He’s the new kid on the block, but he also projects to be a star cornerback. His pedigree at LSU is impressive, as he didn't surrender a touchdown in coverage and also didn't commit a penalty en route to becoming a unanimous All-American, according to Taylor. 

"He jumped out on tape," Spagnuolo said in May of Delane. "We all felt like he was the top corner in this class. I was really intrigued by his story. I think he could've come out after his last year there at Virginia Tech -- or thought about it. But the information that we gathered was that he wanted to be challenged a little bit more, so you go to LSU.

"That speaks volumes about a guy -- and to have a really good year at LSU -- so hopeful that he can be a good player for us."

Taylor also mentioned that Delane also profiles similarly to Trent McDuffie, the star cornerback the Chiefs traded to the Los Angeles Rams to help get the draft capital that allowed them to draft Delane.

"I take pride in my cerebral part of the game," Delane said in May. "I try to understand my alignment and my splits to help give me an advantage before the play even happens. You just try to eliminate routes. If it's a cut split or a wider split, there's only so many routes you can do. Eliminating the route tree makes the game easier."

There are others in the mix, too. Sneed claims he has “million-dollar feet,” but he seems to have squandered the millions he got from the Tennessee Titans. Kristian Fulton, Jadon Canady and Chris Roland-Wallace are also involved in the battle, which is expected to go down to the wire once these half-dozen players put on the pads for real.