![\"Trent](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_259,w_3535,h_1988\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/220\/01jgpbg94bv84ehdnpkh.jpg\")
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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.<\/p>\n
But very few defenders can do all three of these things \u2014 and do them at an elite, All-Pro level. The Kansas City Chiefs\u2019 fourth-year corner Trent McDuffie is one of them. He belongs in every conversation about the NFL\u2019s best young pass defender \u2014 and having him is a luxury most teams can only dream about.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s situation has changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrent is still our No. 1,\u201d he confirmed, \u201cand so he\u2019s at the outside position.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m quite sure Spags will put a little more emphasis on possibly trying to move Trent around if we can,\u201d said Merritt. \u201cBut right now Trent is our No. 1 outside corner. [But] if we get to a chance \u2014 or a point during the season \u2014 where we can slide him inside, that\u2019d be great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spagnuolo agreed with Merritt\u2019s assessment of McDuffie\u2019s situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought in the past when we\u2019ve had Trent inside, he\u2019s done some really good things,\u201d observed the coordinator. \u201cHe\u2019s effective covering [and] blitzing.<\/p>\n
\u201c[But] where anybody will be will be determined by how it all shapes up at the corner spots. Trent\u2019s pretty legit at that spot\u2026 when LJ [L\u2019Jarius Sneed] was here and we moved Trent inside a little bit more, I thought he made a lot of plays in there.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while McDuffie is still young, Spagnuolo sees that his impact goes beyond his on-field performance:<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, it feels like Trent is kind of \u2018that guy,\u2019\u201d said Spagnuolo. \u201cI know [it\u2019s his fourth year in] the league, but he feels like a vet. He\u2019s always carried himself [well].\u201d<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 but the team is likely to seek a contract extension before then. With a big multi-year deal on the line \u2014 and an opportunity to play in the spot where he\u2019s traditionally been most effective \u2014 McDuffie may be headed for a big 2025 season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While Kansas City\u2019s No. 1 cornerback is set to play outside, his coaches say it might not stay that way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":68606,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n