The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense continues to improve as young talent added through the draft reshapes the unit. A rebranded secondary consisting of first and second-year players was a significant reason the Chiefs made their triumphant Super Bowl run in 2022.
A vital part of the secondary is starting cornerback Trent McDuffie who played well as a rookie last season when he was not dealing with injuries. The former first-round pick missed six games due to a nagging hamstring injury during Kansas City’s Week 1 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. He spoke with reporters on Monday after practice to praise the defensive gameplan from coordinator Steve Spagnuolo who is heavily emphasizing red zone coverage in training camp workouts.
“I feel like this year, Spags [Steve Spagnuolo] did a great job at just honing in on the red zone,” McDuffie explained. “I know last year, we didn’t do as great as we wanted to do, but this year has been a big emphasis is going out here in red zone third down, and just being able to be the best team there.
“So [we are] constantly, every day, doing some, a little more, a little more just based off red zone. I feel like it’s truly helping us, and they all go back to repetition and make sure we trust one another out there. And I feel like we’re really getting a lot better.”
McDuffie had 44 tackles and seven pass deflections in eleven starts last season. The Chiefs are well aware of the talent McDuffie possesses and are hoping he can remain healthy in 2023.
