This time a year ago, the Kansas City Chiefs were rumored to be in the market to add a cornerback via trade. One player that NFL teams inquired about was Minnesota Vikings CB Xavier Rhodes. Teams believed he was a trade candidate because of the young talent the team had brought in at the cornerback position.
Ultimately, Rhodes wasn’t traded and he went on to have one of the worst seasons of career, effectively tanking any trade value. According to PFF, Rhodes gave up a catch on 83.5% of targets and allowed a passer rating of 131.1 into his coverage during the 2019 season. His performance made him virtually unplayable for Minnesota, but they still put him out there for 15 games. With the free agency period around the corner, the Vikings decided to terminate the contract of Rhodes, in a move to clear some much-needed cap space for Minnesota.
So why would Kansas City be interested in adding a player coming off of one of the worst seasons of his NFL career? It wasn’t long ago that Rhodes was considered among the top cornerbacks in the NFL. He had his career-best year in 2016, adding 52 total tackles, five interceptions and 11 passes defended. Now that his production has waned, he likely won’t demand top-dollar as a free agent. In fact, he could be prone to taking a prove-it style contract and becoming a free agent again in 2021.
Additionally, Rhodes could be due for some redemption during the 2020 NFL season, depending on where he lands in free agency. Our friend Mark Schofield over at Touchdown Wire detailed his path to redemption well — Rhodes was not put in the position to succeed with the Vikings. Rhodes excels as a press-man cornerback, but Minnesota consistently increased their usage of zone coverage and off-man coverage across the board during the past two seasons. Rhodes didn’t adjust well to having to play those coverages with more frequency.
The Chiefs like to play to the strengths of their players and they also happen to play a lot of press-man on the perimeter. That’d instantly make Rhodes a better fit in Kansas City. Another important thing to remember about Rhodes, because he was released from his contract, he won’t count toward the compensatory pick formula. That’ll be important for a team like the Chiefs, as they’re expected to have several qualifying departures in free agency.
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