Tag: Trent McDuffie

Chiefs tease players, throwback to pictures of funny faces at NFL combine

The Kansas City #Chiefs showed fans the funniest faces made by their players during the 40 yard dash at past combines.

The Kansas City Chiefs have been extremely successful at identifying young talent in the draft in recent seasons.

From stars like L’Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis, and Rashee Rice, Kansas City seems to have a knack for finding the best players available.

The Chiefs have been eyeing the available pool of players in Indianapolis, Indiana this week as they get a feel for the 2024 draft class, but the team made sure fans on social media didn’t forget some of the top combine moments from years past.

In a post to Twitter, Kansas City recapped some of the funniest faces made by its players during workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium:

 

The goofy visages of the Chiefs’ players served as a way to tease the defending Super Bowl champions as the offseason gets into full swing and kept fans engaged in the hype building in Indianapolis as Kansas City prepares for the 2024 NFL Draft.

Four key situations for the Chiefs to manage in the 2024 offseason

The #Chiefs will have to negotiate these four key situations during the 2024 offseason.

The Kansas City Chiefs are back-to-back Super Bowl champions for the first time in franchise history, and the first team since the 2003-04 New England Patriots to hoist Lombardi Trophies in consecutive seasons.

It is now time for the Chiefs to focus on free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft. Two of Kansas City’s top contributors, Chris Jones and L’Jarius Sneed, are set to hit the open market, and with just over $27 million in cap space available, it may prove to be difficult for the Chiefs to retain both of them.

Kansas City is in the midst of a dynasty, and the Chiefs haven’t been afraid to sacrifice key pieces to keep their championship window open.

With that in mind, take a look at the most important situations the Chiefs will have to address this offseason:

NFL fans roast former Dolphins GM over hypothetical Jaylen Waddle trade

Fans were ruthless about a suggested Jaylen Waddle trade.

While the 2023 NFL season just ended, we’ve already hit the first dead point during the offseason, as teams have mostly filled out their coaching staffs and free agency is still weeks away.

There may be some news that breaks before then, but this is prime speculation and suggestion season.

Former Miami Dolphins general manager Mike Tannenbaum kicked us off with a wild trade proposal that had Miami trading wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Kansas City Chiefs for cornerback Trent McDuffie.

Obviously, the two teams agreed on a trade for Tyreek Hill a couple of years back, so there are open lines of communication, but it’s hard to imagine a deal like this coming together.

In fact, some felt it was so outrageous that they took to social media to clown on Tannenbaum (mostly from the Chiefs side).

Trent McDuffie earned fourth-best PFF grade among CBs in 2023

#Chiefs star Trent McDuffie earned the fourth-best PFF grade among all cornerbacks in 2023.

Trent McDuffie’s rise to dominance was a welcome sign for Kansas City Chiefs fans in 2023, and his contributions are sure to be integral in his team’s effort to complete a Super Bowl three-peat next season.

While McDuffie’s outstanding play last year was a sight to behold, it can be difficult for fans to contextualize just how dominant he was, especially given that he didn’t manage to snag an interception during the Chiefs’ 2023 campaign.

Pro Football Focus player grades are handy for this application and serve as an easily digestible way for fans to wrap their heads around the performances of their favorite stars.

McDuffie earned an 85.8 PFF grade for his efforts last season, which ranked as the fourth-best mark of any player at the cornerback position.

Though he may not have graded out as the best cornerback in the NFL, his stellar play spoke for itself, and McDuffie seems primed to continue developing with the Chiefs next season as Kansas City chases its fourth ring of the Patrick Mahomes era.

Twitter lambasts Mike Tannenbaum for bizarre hypothetical trade

Users on Twitter weren’t pleased a hypothetical trade floated by Mike Tannenbaum that would send #Chiefs DB Trent McDuffie to the #Dolphins.

ESPN insider Mike Tannenbaum found himself in the crosshairs of Twitter users on Tuesday morning after he floated the idea of a trade that would send Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

While Kansas City has a clear need at the receiver position, football fans across the country seemed to think that sending McDuffie to Miami would be a terrible idea, even if the Chiefs stood to gain an elite playmaker in return.

Hypothetical trade talk is always part of the NFL offseason, but Tannenbaum’s bizarre player swap scenario was too farfetched for even the most open-minded users on Twitter.

McDuffie cemented himself as one of the league’s top cornerbacks after an outstanding 2023 campaign, and the idea that he might leave Kansas City was repulsive to many fans.

Check out some of Twitter’s responses to Tannenbaum’s questionable trade below to see just how much Chiefs fans want McDuffie in Kansas City for the long term:

Former Saints draft pick, Alabama football star takes high-profile college coaching job

Former Saints draft pick and Alabama football star Vinnie Sunseri has taken a high-profile college coaching job at Washington:

Here’s some good news for a former New Orleans Saints draft pick: Vinnie Sunseri has taken a high-profile college coaching job as the Washington Huskies safeties coach, where he’ll be tasked with developing the next generation of defensive backs at a West Coast powerhouse with national championship ambitions.

Things have come full circle. Sunseri was a standout at Alabama during his own college playing career, and Alabama’s decision to hire Washington’s former head coach Kalen DeBoer led to a lot of turnover for the Huskies coaching staff.

Sunseri, 32, was picked by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. But he struggled to get on the field after dealing with a series of injuries. He finished his NFL playing career with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.

After hanging up his cleats, Sunseri began a coaching career at Alabama as a graduate assistant; he returned to the Patriots in 2020 to get more experience, where he first worked with the defense before moving to the offensive side of the ball for three years coaching running backs. Now he’s going back to his roots with much more responsibility under new Washington head coach Jedd Fisch.

The job comes with high expectations. Washington is fresh off a national title bid, and the school has sent many defensive backs to the NFL draft in recent years; Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon were both top-50 picks in 2022, while Elijah Molden was selected at No. 100 overall (followed by Keith Taylor in the fifth round) in 2021. Byron Murphy and Taylor Rapp were each second-round picks in 2019 with Jordan Miller also drafted in the fifth round. Sunseri will be charged with recruiting and developing players to follow in their footsteps. Good luck to him.

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The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Super Bowl LVIII recap edition

Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar review Super Bowl LVIII between the Chiefs and 49ers as only they can in this week’s “Xs and Os.”

Now that Super Bowl LVIII is in the books, and the Kansas City Chiefs have established themselves as the NFL’s nest dynasty with their 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers, it’s time for Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, to review everything as only they can with copious tape study and advanced metrics.

Among the topics discussed in this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar”:

  • Steve Spagnuolo’s shocking man-blitz plan.
  • How Trent McDuffie made that deflection with 2:00 left in regulation.
  • Was Chris Jones robbed of a Super Bowl MVP award for the second time in four years?
  • Why Spags went so heavy with nickel, and Cover-0 stuff.
  • Why Brock Purdy wasn’t the reason the 49ers lost.
  • Was Dre Greenlaw’s injury a major factor in the game or not?
  • How were the Chiefs able to spot man coverage on Travis Kelce’s huge fourth-quarter catch?
  • How Patrick Mahomes showed his development as a quarterback at the most important points of his season…
  • …and why Mahomes’ biggest throw in the Super Bowl was the one he never should have attempted.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

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You can listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Twitter reacts to Trent McDuffies incredible touchdown-saving play in Super Bowl LVIII

Twitter exploded after Trent McDuffie’s incredible pass breakup in the second quarter of Super Bowl LVIII.

Trent McDuffie helped the Kansas City Chiefs keep the San Francisco 49ers’ outstanding passing attack at bay early in the second quarter of Super Bowl LVIII by swatting a well-thrown ball intended for star wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

The amazing play prevented a 49ers touchdown and forced San Francisco to kick a field goal that limited Kansas City’s first-half deficit to three points.

Take a look at McDuffie’s incredible breakup here, and notice the body control required to defend the ball without interfering with Samuel in the air:

Fans across America reacted to the unbelievable play on Twitter in real time, crediting McDuffie for his marvelous effort. In a game where the Chiefs have struggled to find their footing on offense, moments like this may prove to be the difference between a win and a loss for the defending Super Bowl champions.

Check out some of Twitter’s top reactions to the play below:

Full Chiefs 53-man roster for Super Bowl LVIII vs. 49ers

Check out the full #Chiefs 53-man roster for Kansas City’s Super Bowl LVIII matchup against the San Francisco #49ers.

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday after a roller-coaster season that saw the defending champions go from pretenders to contenders.

After their brutal Week 16 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas, Kansas City managed to win both of its final two contests to secure the third seed in the AFC playoffs.

Their ticket to the Super Bowl was punched after three games that saw the Chiefs defeat the Miami Dolphins at home and both the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens on the road.

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Through all of the ups and downs of the 2023 season, Kansas City’s 53-man roster has largely looked the same as it did in Week 1, with a few key exceptions.

Check out every player on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster ahead of Super Bowl LVIII to see who might see action in Kansas City’s effort to secure its second-consecutive championship, listed by jersey number:

Trent McDuffie named Chiefs’ most improved player by Pro Football Focus

DB Trent McDuffie was named the #Chiefs’ most improved player by Pro Football Focus this week ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ success in 2023 was defined by the progression of their young defense, led by young talent acquired through the NFL draft in recent years.

Among the unit’s most productive members were 2022 first-round picks George Karlaftis and Trent McDuffie, who bolstered Kansas City’s pass rush and secondary respectively.

While Karlaftis’ efforts were enough to secure him a top spot on the Chiefs’ regular season sack leaderboard, McDuffie’s performance in 2023 turned the heads of the experts at Pro Football Focus who named the second-year defensive back Kansas City’s most improved player.

McDuffie has been worth every bit of the 21st overall selection the Chiefs spent on him. Without his stellar play against opposing receivers, Kansas City’s defense wouldn’t have been able to put together such a dominant campaign in 2023.

Expect the 23-year-old to continue growing in Steve Spagnuolo’s system as he endeavors to help the Chiefs earn their second-straight Lombardi Trophy against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.