Some NFL cornerbacks excel at locking down the boundary. Others are nearly impossible to shake in the slot. A few can time their blitzes so well that they can consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks.
But very few defenders can do all three of these things — and do them at an elite, All-Pro level. The Kansas City Chiefs’ fourth-year corner Trent McDuffie is one of them. He belongs in every conversation about the NFL’s best young pass defender — and having him is a luxury most teams can only dream about.
During the offseason, the team signed former Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton. But speaking to reporters last week, Kansas City defensive backs coach Dave Merritt said that while defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could still have some tricks up his sleeve, nothing about McDuffie’s situation has changed.
“Trent is still our No. 1,” he confirmed, “and so he’s at the outside position.
“I’m quite sure Spags will put a little more emphasis on possibly trying to move Trent around if we can,” said Merritt. “But right now Trent is our No. 1 outside corner. [But] if we get to a chance — or a point during the season — where we can slide him inside, that’d be great.”
Spagnuolo agreed with Merritt’s assessment of McDuffie’s situation.
“I thought in the past when we’ve had Trent inside, he’s done some really good things,” observed the coordinator. “He’s effective covering [and] blitzing.
“[But] where anybody will be will be determined by how it all shapes up at the corner spots. Trent’s pretty legit at that spot… when LJ [L’Jarius Sneed] was here and we moved Trent inside a little bit more, I thought he made a lot of plays in there.”
And while McDuffie is still young, Spagnuolo sees that his impact goes beyond his on-field performance:
“Right now, it feels like Trent is kind of ‘that guy,’” said Spagnuolo. “I know [it’s his fourth year in] the league, but he feels like a vet. He’s always carried himself [well].”
The team has already exercised its fifth-year option on the former first-round player, who is now set to earn $13.6 million in 2026 — but the team is likely to seek a contract extension before then. With a big multi-year deal on the line — and an opportunity to play in the spot where he’s traditionally been most effective — McDuffie may be headed for a big 2025 season.
