The easy thing would be to write about Patrick Mahomes, his new weapons and how the Kansas City Chiefs, if healthy, are a terrific bet to three-peat.
But that’s going to be written plenty in the coming months. Instead, watching Thursday’s practice at Western Missouri State University in St. Joseph, Mo., it was another area of the team demanding attention: the secondary.
With safety Justin Reid sidelined with a quad injury and star corner L’Jarius Sneed having been traded to the Tennessee Titans this offseason, the back end in Kansas City looks a lot different. And if it’s going to approach last year’s level of lockdown (the Chiefs ranked fourth in pass defense), keep an eye on second-year defensive back Chamarri Conner.
With Sneed and his inside-outside versatility gone, Kansas City will look to Conner to play both deep safety and slot corner, allowing first-team All-Pro Trent McDuffie more freedom in his alignments. In short, much of the Chiefs’ ability to dictate matchups rests with Conner.
“I think special teams helped me a lot early (last year), just being able to get on the field,” Conner says. “Compete against guys, go against guys. I feel like that helped me a lot. … I think I’m way ahead of where I was this time last year on defense. I’m way ahead of where I was knowing the playbook and having the experience.”
Conner, 24, played 28% of defensive snaps as a rookie but saw an increased workload as the year went on, including 61% against the Miami Dolphins in Kansas City’s wild-card win, and then 99% against the Buffalo Bills the following week after Mike Edwards left due to injury.
While he’s still going to be part of a three-man rotation at safety featuring Reid and Bryan Cook, along with the occasional snap for fourth-round rookie Jaden Hicks, Conner’s usage will be increased due to his unique skill set.
At Virginia Tech, he was a four-year starter who excelled on special teams but also was deployed in multiple spots defensively. In 2020, he led the Hokies with 5.5 sacks, while amassing 10 tackles for loss and eight passes defensed.
“It’s something I’ve been doing for a long time,” Conner says. “Since high school, I’ve been playing safety and nickel. I’m very confident doing both. In college I did both. It feels great to come to the next level and still do the same.”
Overall, Conner’s snaps and where they come from will be directly tied to matchups. When the Chiefs feel the opposition’s biggest receiving threat comes from the slot, expect McDuffie to play inside with a combination of Jaylen Watson, Kelvin Joseph and Joshua Williams on the perimeter.
However, if the opponent’s top receiver is on the boundary, McDuffie could travel outside, leaving Conner to play the slot.
In the early going, the secondary will be worth monitoring.
“It’s come along pretty well,” safety Bryan Cook says. “Everything just takes time. … [Sneed] moved on, props to him, but now we have an opportunity to come together as a team with new faces and new guys to be brought into the system. It’s a challenge, but we’re looking pretty good so far.”
The Chiefs open the season against Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, before facing Kirk Cousins and Justin Herbert to close out the first four games. If Reid isn’t fully healthy, or McDuffie playing more on the boundary becomes an issue, Kansas City could need to recalibrate.
But if coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive backs coach Dave Merritt build on their sterling track records, Conner could be the next in a long line of Kansas City secondary personnel to go from question mark to well-known in short order.
Best thing I saw: Patrick Mahomes–Xavier Worthy connection
On multiple occasions, the duo hooked up for big gains down the field, including the play of the day. Early in a team period, Mahomes dropped back into a clean pocket and launched an aerial to Worthy. The first-year receiver jab-stepped to the outside, freezing Cook, before turning to the post to create easy separation. The result was a 50-yard touchdown.
Throughout the morning, Worthy was being used in a variety of ways by coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, including jet sweeps and quick motions.
With Worthy’s 4.2 speed, expect to see plenty of that come the regular season.
Best thing I heard: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB
Edwards-Helaire and LSU teammate Jared Small were selling electronics days before Christmas 2018 when 18-year-old Kobe Johnson attempted to rob them. In self-defense, one of the LSU players opened fire and killed Johnson.
Throughout Edwards-Helaire’s nine-minute presser Thursday, he was open and honest about his struggles with PTSD, and how it’s impacted his life over the past five-plus years. It was a raw moment with a human being, and will hopefully help someone struggling with a similar situation.
“I have PTSD and Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. It’s something that neurologically, they kind of help me with it and walk through it. Sometimes I’m admitted into the hospital if I can’t stop throwing up. … The only person who kind of put me in the right direction was (Chiefs athletic trainer) Julie Frymyer early on, to get me some of the meds when I’m going through an episode. To get me over that hump,” says Edwards-Helaire on battling PTSD dating back to 2018.
Veteran who impressed: Drue Tranquill, LB
Tranquill was signed to a one-year, $3 million deal with incentives prior to last season. After coming over from the Los Angeles Chargers, Tranquill proceeded to have a fantastic campaign, totaling 78 tackles, seven tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits and 4.5 sacks while playing quality snaps in coverage.
This offseason, the Chiefs rewarded him with a three-year, $19 million deal, and the early returns have been as expected. On Thursday, with middle linebacker Nick Bolton sidelined with an elbow injury, Tranquill was everywhere, fitting runs and breaking up passes in coverage.
With Bolton entering a contract year and third-year linebacker Leo Chenal becoming a first-time starter, Tranquill is a steadying force on the second level. Arguably the most underrated player on the team, he will be key to any three-peat aspirations.
Rookie who impressed: Worthy, WR
While left tackle Kingsley Suamataia and Hicks had strong days, Worthy is the only choice.
He consistently racked up yardage, whether it was on a pre-packaged jet sweep or a deep ball. Either way, it wasn’t hard to find Worthy despite being the lightest player on the field at 165 pounds.
Reid’s handling of rookie receivers has typically been to shelter them by limiting snaps. In 2016, Tyreek Hill made All-Pro as a returner but only played 41% of the offensive snaps despite his evident talent and explosiveness.
Last season, Rashee Rice was clearly the Chiefs’ top talent on the outside, and yet played 58% of the snaps while Kadarius Toney, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling struggled throughout 2023.
Expect Worthy to be Kansas City’s fourth option in the passing game behind Travis Kelce, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Rice. But when he’s on the field, look out.
Song of the day: “Good Hearted Woman” by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
I chose this song because I’m guaranteed not to hear anything like it at any other camp, which seems fitting in Kansas City.
One of the reasons the Chiefs are so good? They practice like they play. Quick, efficient, no wasted movements. It’s a mentality, and one you don’t often see, even with other contenders.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chiefs Training Camp: Chamarri Conner Could Be the Key to Kansas City’s Secondary .
