The Kansas City Chiefs could face a looming decision in their secondary, with one insider suggesting a Super Bowl starter could end up as the odd man out.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport identified the top trade candidates for all 32 NFL teams, pegging cornerback Jaylen Watson as the most likely trade bait for the Chiefs.
Davenport noted that the Chiefs face a roster crunch at cornerback and will need to make a big financial commitment to star Trent McDuffie very soon, which could make this the perfect time to trade Watson.
Tough Decisions Ahead for the Chiefs
Davenport noted that Watson could be “expendable” for the Chiefs as he is heading into the final years of his contract, though added that Kansas City doesn’t have much fat to cut on the defensive side of the ball.
“For a team that has utterly dominated the AFC over the past decade or so, the Kansas City Chiefs don’t have a roster with a lot of obvious trade candidates,” Davenport wrote. “The massive contracts handed out to the team’s stars have impacted the team’s depth—there just aren’t that many players the team can afford to part with.”
Davenport ultimately agreed with Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports, who noted that Watson’s spot on the roster isn’t safe despite earning a starting job last season and returning from a broken ankle to start in the Super Bowl.
“But this offseason, the Chiefs signed cornerback Kristian Fulton, and next year they’re going to have to pay All-Pro corner Trent McDuffie at least $13 million on his fifth-year option,” Vacchiano wrote. “Watson will be a free agent, too, and they’re not likely to pay three corners. He’s only 27, so his value is still high because corners with his talent can be hard to find.”
Watson, the former seventh-round pick, has proven himself as a starting cornerback and could get a modest return if the Chiefs decide to put him on the trade block.
Big Praise for Trent McDuffie
While Watson’s future in Kansas City remains uncertain — whether the Chiefs put him on the trade block or not — McDuffie is expected to remain a fixture of the secondary for years to come. The cornerback was ranked No. 5 in Pro Football Focus’ rankings of the top 25 players under the age of 25.
The report noted that McDuffie successfully made the transition from slot to outside cornerback and didn’t miss a step doing it.
“McDuffie went from being a top-five nickel cornerback in PFF overall grade for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense in 2023 to a top-five outside cornerback in 2024. He is the NFL’s highest-graded cornerback since 2023 (89.7),” the report noted.
PFF added that McDuffie has been one of the league’s most consistent cornerbacks since coming to the Chiefs as a first-round pick in 2022.
“McDuffie has earned an 89.4 PFF coverage grade since entering the league in 2022, which is a top-five mark among all cornerbacks and makes him the only one in the top 10 to have spent more than 25% of their career snaps in the slot,” the football analysis outlet noted.
