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TEMPE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 09: (L-R) Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo talks with head coach Andy Reid in a practice session prior to Super Bowl LVII at Arizona State University Practice Facility on February 09, 2023 in Tempe, Arizona. The Kansas City Chiefs play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII on February 12, 2023 at State Farm Stadium. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs have overhauled their secondary, shipping away their top cornerback and replacing him by making a big move up the draft board.
The moves come as the Chiefs look to rapidly rebuild following a dismal 2025 season, but the approach has drawn criticism from one NFL insider who called the moves “counterintuitive.”
The Chiefs signaled a major change in direction when they traded cornerback Trent McDuffie in a deal with the Los Angeles Rams, getting some key draft assets in return. But the Chiefs then burned many of those assets to land a new cornerback, a move that was puzzling to Bleacher Report’s Brett Sobleski.
Sobleski gave the Chiefs a grade of C+ for their offseason moves, writing that he didn’t understand the team’s approach to the secondary and the reason for landing Mansoor Delane in the first round.
“Conversely, the Chiefs’ approach at cornerback is counterintuitive,” Sobleski wrote. “The team traded a former first-team All-Pro in Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams for a first-round pick, then used its earlier first-round pick, plus a trade-up, to select the incoming class’ best corner, Mansoor Delane.”
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty