Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie got a late start to his rookie season in 2022 after being injured in the first game of the team’s Super Bowl LVII campaign.
McDuffie missed Weeks 2-7 due to a hamstring injury, so his season truly began in Week 9 after the Chiefs’ bye week. McDuffie ended up playing 14 total games including the postseason and performed well, mainly playing on the boundary as a cornerback.
Entering his sophomore season, McDuffie is ready to take on a larger role in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s squad, including shifting inside to play some nickel corner. That role is typically reserved for fourth-year pro L’Jarius Sneed, but coach Spags loves to move his players around when the matchup calls for it.
To prepare for a potentially increased role in nickel formations, McDuffie has looked to Sneed for guidance on how to succeed at the specialized position.
“He’s someone I can truly look up to and ask all the questions,” McDuffie said during Monday’s press conference. “He’s been here three years, he’s done it inside, outside. Just picking his brain and what he sees, how he does it, certain things, why he lines up that way, has been, for me, a teacher-to-student type of thing.”
In 2022, McDuffie didn’t play much nickel until Week 16. Then, suddenly, his time at slot corner ramped up: 229 of his 416 snaps from Week 16 to the Super Bowl were in the slot — that’s 55 percent.
It’s clear the Chiefs want to move McDuffie around more. After all, McDuffie could end up being the team’s best all-around defensive back by the end of 2023. It’ll be intriguing to see how much work McDuffie gets at slot, and more importantly, how much work he gets against his opponents’ top wide receivers.
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