One Chiefs Rookie That Made Strong First Impression in 2024

The Kansas City Chiefs had a ton of young contributors last season on both offense and defense, but one that made a strong, under the radar, first impression was Christian Roland-Wallace.

Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace (30) runs on field against the Baltimore Ravens prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs needed every player that stepped foot onto the field last season to get them where they ended up. From players to the coaching staff, everyone's role was pivotal in getting the franchise back to its third consecutive Super Bowl appearance.

While the biggest stars of the franchise often get the most spotlight, there were plenty of players that shined under the radar. One of those players was cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace. Coming into the league after getting undrafted, the Chiefs made a strong pickup that only continued to improve down the stretch.

The USC product was active in a full 17 games for Kansas City. In those contests, he was able to bring in 34 total tackles, 23 solo tackles, forced one fumble, earned two stuffs and even had an interception.

On the cusp of the full season, Roland-Wallace was even trusted by head coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to start two regular season games in the season. His biggest game arguably came when he picked off San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.

Un-drafted free agents often want to make their impact known sooner rather than later, and Roland-Wallace did just that. It's one thing to have your defensive coordinator say nice things about you, but when someone on the opposite side of the ball, such as quarterback Patrick Mahomes, says something nice about a defensive player, he must've done something well.

"He's a good football player," Mahomes said. "He's been like that since training camp, and you can see it. Some guys just have it, and you can see it from day one. He's gotten better and better. You can tell he really listens to Spags, to Coach (Dave) Merritt, to all the coaches and the players. He sits there and listens to Trent (McDuffie) talk. He's gotten better and better each and every week, and he stepped up today whenever his number was called."

Last season, according to PFF.com, Roland-Wallace was an average defender when he took the field, as he shined primarily in his run defense, as he ranked 41st out of the 222 qualified cornerbacks.

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