The Rams went into the offseason looking for help at cornerback, and the early returns from their two former Chiefs additions have been exactly what they wanted.
Kansas City fans knew the secondary could reload. The Chiefs have spent more than a decade showing they can patch together cornerback depth, and even after losing Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, there was reason to believe they’d find answers.
Through three games, they have. Nohl Williams is playing like a future Pro Bowler, Mansoor Delane has looked the part as the consensus top corner in this year’s draft even though he has only played one full game, Kristian Fulton has settled in as a useful third option, and L'Jarius Sneed has handled nickel duties.
The Chiefs have rebuilt that back end well.
But McDuffie and Watson are now in L.A., and Bret Stuter, the site expert for Ramblin Fan who has covered the Rams for the last five years, said the move made sense for a defense that needed help badly.
“I think so. It was clear in the NFL Playoffs that the Rams defense had no answers to stop good passing offenses.
Seattle's Jaxson Smith-Njigba burned LA. And the team wanted to play more man coverage.
The Chiefs' cornerbacks not only checked all the boxes, but they even brought solid run defense to a secondary that was not known for solid tackling cornerbacks. So far in 2026, no single receiver has put up more than 50 yards in a game.”
On McDuffie, Stuter didn’t hesitate.
“I think it was a steal. McDuffie is better than the brochure.
He has limited his targets to six receptions out of 18 targets. He has seven passes defensed, which is a huge achievement in only 3 games.
And he has contributed an interception. He's made 11 tackles without missing any.
Best of all, opposing quarterbacks throw his way at their own peril. He has a QB rating of 19.2 when throwing his way.
No rookie corner in the draft comes anywhere close to that level of dominance”
Watson, Stuter said, was a little more beatable, but still playing well before the shoulder injury.
“Jaylen Watson was slightly more mortal. He had the tougher assignment of matching against bigger, more physical receivers.
But he was playing well, as he allowed 8-of-13 completions and had broken up 3 passes. The true tell of how well Watson was playing was the fact that over the last six quarters of his playing time, LA's defense allowed just six points.
After he left the game due to a shoulder injury, Denver's offense exploded for 23 points (7 points occurred due to Stafford's pick-six).”
In Other News...
Chiefs Suddenly Have A Real Kahlil Benson Decision To Make
Kahlil Bensons rise has given the Chiefs something they did not expect to be weighing this early in the season: a real decision about where he belongs. After joining Kansas City following a successful rookie minicamp tryout, Benson has held down left tackle despite never making a college start there, and the early results have been hard to ignore. The NFL named him AFC offensive rookie of the month after he allowed only seven pressures on 108 pass-blocking snaps through three games.
Now the question is less about whether Benson has earned a role and more about which role best fits the roster as it changes around him. With other players working back from injuries and new additions filtering in, the Chiefs are looking at possible positional shuffles for Benson, a sign that his quick emergence has created both a boost and a puzzle for a team trying to keep its offensive line settled. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Could Catch A Big Break In This Raiders Matchup
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If Powers-Johnson cannot go, the Raiders would likely turn to Caleb Rogers, a 2025 third-round pick, to fill in. Las Vegas also brought in Tyler Linderbaum as a major offseason addition up front, but any change along the interior line is the kind of opening the Chiefs will be paying close attention to in a meeting between unbeaten teams with division implications hanging over every snap. [Read more 🡒]
Tom Bradys Latest Rankings Set Up A Chiefs Debate
Tom Bradys latest NFL power rankings for FOX Sports after Week 3 did more than shuffle the top of the league, they created another talking point for anyone keeping an eye on the AFC and the Chiefs. Brady bumped the undefeated 49ers to No. 1, dropped the Seahawks to No. 6 after their first loss, and gave Brock Purdy a nod for the way San Francisco has opened the year.
He also slotted the Raiders into the top five because of their unbeaten start, a placement that will naturally draw reactions in Kansas City and beyond. For a Chiefs team used to being part of every national conversation, rankings like these are less about validation than they are about comparison, and Bradys latest list leaves plenty of room for debate about where the real contenders belong. [Read more 🡒]