Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed Form a Legit Cornerstone CB Duo for KC Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs' defense has taken an exponential step forward this season, becoming one of the best defenses in the NFL. The growth of defense is mainly due to the play of their starting cornerbacks, Trent McDuffie and L'Jarius Sneed. They have cemented themselves as one of the best, if not the best, cornerback tandems in the league. Both players will get All-Pro consideration and should be locks to at least make the Pro Bowl.
McDuffie and Sneed are perfect defensive backs for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's system. They have inside-outside versatility, are excellent tacklers, crafty blitzers and are sticky in coverage. This allows the Chiefs to disguise coverages and pressure looks because offenses need to determine what McDuffie or Sneed's responsibility is on any play. This played out multiple times on Monday night against the Eagles, as Philadelphia never seemed to have an answer for McDuffie blitzing from the slot while he racked up two sacks and a forced fumble.
Speaking of forced fumbles, the second-year corner is atop the league leaders in that category this season with five. He's brought turnover creation that the Chiefs' secondary needed to improve on from years past. McDuffie has a nose for the football, which has resulted in enormous plays for the defense over the first 11 weeks of the season. Kansas City may be on a three-game skid if not for the former Huskies standout's forced fumble in Germany that was returned for a touchdown. While he has yet to record his first career interception, he has still been incredibly impactful in getting the ball back to the offense.
During the latter portion of the 2022 season, Kansas City started experimenting with Sneed shadowing the opposing team's best wide receiver. This season, that "experiment" has become a full-fledged plan. Throughout the season, Sneed has followed those matchups and excelled while doing so. There have been several penalties because of his aggressive style, but they have yet to cost the Chiefs drastically. Even Spagnuolo said he was okay with the penalties that come with the style Sneed plays with because of the results he's had guarding the opponent's best receiver.
The coverage of McDuffie and Sneed has been excellent throughout the season. Still, one area that separates them from other cornerbacks in the league is their willingness to be physical at the line of scrimmage and tackle. Offenses like to get the ball on the perimeter to force corners to tackle because they are typically the smallest guys on the field. While McDuffie and Sneed don't necessarily break that stereotype, they are unafraid to come downhill and hit someone. Multiple times a game, you will see McDuffie or Sneed making a tackle for loss or at the line of scrimmage, putting the offense behind the sticks. The impact that this ability has is it limits one of the buttons opponents like to hit to gain easy yards.
Kansas City's cornerbacks have gone under the radar for a while now because of all the attention the offense and other parts of the defense get. However, with the rise of the Chiefs' defense, they are finally getting the spotlight they deserve. McDuffie and Sneed have been playing at an All-Pro level, leading the defense week in and week out. With Sneed being an upcoming free agent, the Chiefs should heavily consider extending him at the asking price to keep this duo together for years to come.
