As Injuries Pile Up, Do the Chiefs Have a Cornerback Problem?

At this point, you probably know the story of the Kansas City Chiefs' cornerback room from the last six months. They traded Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams, Jaylen Watson followed in free agency, the team threw numbers at the slot corner position, and, most vitally, the team traded up in the NFL Draft to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane at No. 6 overall.

Throughout training camp so far, Delane has been a limited participant, wearing a yellow non-contact jersey and not yet putting on full pads due to a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, veteran cornerback Kristian Fulton has missed three days of action due to a hip issue, while returning Chief L'Jarius Sneed was held out of Thursday's short practice as the team manages Sneed's persistent knee ailments.

Sneed's absence is likely business as usual. Fulton's is somewhat concerning, considering that a 2025 training camp injury derailed his first season in Kansas City. Delane's status gets a bit more alarming every day he suits up in the yellow jersey.

Speaking to the media after Thursday's practice, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo explained the process of managing Delane's shoulder.

"We're trying to be a little cautious with the shoulder, the shoulder blade," Spagnuolo said. "He was out there today because we only had shells on, so he could protect himself. The other three days, with the shoulder pads, it was just really being safe—protect him from himself, because you put pads on... we don't want to set him back."

Spagnuolo praised Delane's ability to take mental reps and to keep his conditioning up, but Spagnuolo acknowledged that Delane is missing some important elements of the training camp process.

"The thing he's missing right now is the continuity with a bunch of guys that are new to him," Spagnuolo said. "We're going to have to fight through that. I mean, before you know it, we're going to be lining up against Denver. So, hopefully we can get him back quicker than we thought."

Delane could return at any point and begin to master what he's missed so far, but it is concerning that the rookie is still sidelined.

On June 11, at the conclusion of the Chiefs' summer offseason program, head coach Andy Reid delivered an update that stands out now.

"Delane hurt his shoulder, and so we kept him out of practice for that reason," Reid said nearly two months ago. "He should be ready for [training camp]."

What should the Chiefs do about their banged-up cornerback room?

Regarding Delane, there's not much the Chiefs can do. He's the team's highest-drafted player since KC selected Eric Fisher No. 1 overall in 2013, and their aggressive trade-up from No. 9 to No. 6 for Delane indicated that the Chiefs saw him as a high-level difference-maker.

In Spagnuolo's defense, training camp reps and system comfort have always mattered. Even if Delane is cleared for full contact in time for the Chiefs' season-opener, I do now have some doubt that he'd get the every-snap responsibilities I envisioned when the team drafted him. That time should still come, of course, but a delayed start is less than ideal.

Meanwhile, with Fulton and Sneed's injury histories putting their status in doubt, a player like Kaiir Elam could get an extra-long look in camp in the days to come. Kader Kohou, Jadon Canady and Chris Rolland-Wallace (who also fits into the safety rotation) should all be slot-only corner candidates, leaving second-year third-round pick Nohl Williams as the only healthy sure-fire outside contributor.

I wasn't worried about Delane in July. I wasn't particularly worried when he started the non-contact portion of camp in the no-contact jersey. But every padded practice that Delane misses is more ground he'll have to cover in order to get a full workload in Week 1.

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