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A whirlwind offseason for the Kansas City Chiefs has culminated in one of their strongest rosters in years. Despite two Super Bowl berths in consecutive seasons, the team found ways to improve on both sides of the ball for 2021, and have somehow managed to put themselves in an even better position to chase another championship.
Though the offensive line and linebacker positions were the primary focus for Brett Veach in revamping the roster, the addition of cornerback Mike Hughes flew under the radar through training camp. Hughes was a former first-round pick, selected 30th overall by Minnesota in 2018, but failed to reach his full potential playing for the Vikings. Far from a household name when he was traded to Kansas City for a sixth-round pick in May, Hughes is now in contention for a major role on the Chiefs defense and special teams units this season.
Speaking to reporters after the team cut down to 53 players on Tuesday, Hughes was elated to have made the final roster, but made it clear that his work is far from over.
“You just have to control what you can control,” Hughes said of the cut process. “Just try to come in every day and do your job to the best of your ability, try to go out there and compete. Like I said, just treat every day like you can be gone tomorrow. That’s the approach that I took, and I know we had a very close group during training camp as a DB group. We tried to help out one another, but at the end of the day, you can control what you can control. That’s to go out there and do your job and have the coaches make those tough decisions.”
Hughes made an exceptional impression as a punt and kick returner in the preseason, nearly scoring against his former team last week on a huge punt return that was called back for a penalty. He told reporters that playing against the team that traded him in the offseason was a unique experience, but seemed happy to have gotten a win off his old teammates.
“It was bittersweet,” Hughes said of playing the Vikings. “But I don’t have a grudge against those guys. It’s all love. I talked to some of the players pregame and postgame. They were all happy for me, so it was a good feeling. Good to see those guys and just having fun competing against those guys too.”
The Chiefs have found themselves with exceptional depth in the defensive secondary in 2021. As the team prepares for week one action against the Browns, Hughes sees a lot of potential in his unit. He elaborated on the grind-it-out mentality of the group, but he stopped short of giving his teammates any undue credit.
“We work so hard over here, man,” Hughes told the media, “Competing against those guys on offense, they’re going to give you the best look that they can. It’s a blessing, just going against some of the best receivers in the league every day, it makes the game so much easier. Coach puts a big emphasis on working hard so that’s really what we do at practice. We work, we work and once it becomes game week, it’s that much easier. Just come in every day with the right mindset and we’re all going to rally behind each other. That’s the most important thing about that group. The camaraderie is great, we’re all going to help one another. Try to get the big job done and you know what that is.”
The pursuit of another championship will truly be a team effort this season, and with Hughes in the mix defending the pass, Kansas City is in good hands defensively. A big season from the buy-low cornerback could put the Chiefs’ defense over the top this season when combined with the flash of the linebacker corps, a revitalized pass rush and savvy play by other more established players in Kansas City’s secondary.
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