With an already spectacular profession resume, Kansas Metropolis Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie enters his third season within the NFL with a brand new problem to himself: getting into the position of the crew’s No. 1 cornerback.
The offseason commerce of former Chiefs nook L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans left a major hole within the crew’s secondary. With the necessity for somebody to shadow the opposing crew’s greatest extensive receiver, McDuffie is assured he’s the best individual for the job.
“I imply, I informed [defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] wherever he wants me – like I all the time mentioned, ‘That’s the place you may put me,’” McDuffie shared after Monday’s follow. “I’m going in opposition to one of the best of one of the best. That’s why we play this recreation, to go in opposition to one of the best of one of the best. Having the ability to compete, regardless of who it’s in opposition to, I’m prepared to do this.”
Final season, McDuffie primarily served because the Chiefs’ slot nook, incomes First-Group All-Professional honors. Whereas NFL offenses have grown accustomed to shifting their extensive receivers all around the formation, they sometimes depend on their greatest gamers to beat one-on-one protection on the skin. Sneed took on this accountability final season, however now, with McDuffie transitioning to that position, he acknowledges the challenges forward.
“Final 12 months was actually my first time on the nickel place,” McDuffie defined. “Then this 12 months, with LJ leaving, shifting to the skin might be a special ball recreation. Inside, you already know you bought assist right here and there, so you are able to do issues a little bit in another way. On the skin, whenever you’re on an island, you bought to be a technician. Coming into this camp figuring out that I may need to do extra of that, I’ve been engaged on my method little by little every day and simply making an attempt to excellent myself on the market.”
No matter the place he performs, McDuffie stays one of many Chiefs’ greatest defenders. Final season, he ranked first on the crew in compelled fumbles (5), second in whole tackles (80) and passes defended (7), and fourth in quarterback pressures (14). Whereas staying within the slot performed to McDuffie’s strengths by permitting him to get after the quarterback, he in the end credited his success to his general information of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s system.
“It comes again to figuring out your accountability on each play,” McDuffie famous. “Coach (Steve Spagnuolo) has plenty of performs in, and we do plenty of various things. You could be a Cowl 3 nook, a Cowl 2 nook, a Cowl 4. I imply we’ve all of the coverages, so simply figuring out the place your leverage is and figuring out the place you’re assistance is — and on the finish of the day, Coach Spags talks about it on a regular basis, it’s simply disrupting the routes. Get your arms on the receivers, and messing up that timing is one of the best factor a nook can do on this protection.”
Regardless of all of his success, McDuffie’s one evident stat is his zero interceptions over the primary two years of his profession. He’ll want to enhance this as he steps into his new position. Nevertheless, regardless of the interception numbers, Spagnuolo stays proud of the Chiefs’ new No. 1 cornerback.
“He’s bought a pure really feel for all of that,” Spagnulo mentioned of McDuffie’s recreation. “He’s ready for his first NFL interception, proper? I informed him this earlier than – you already know he bought voted- didn’t he get voted All-Professional by his friends final 12 months? I believed that was the hugest praise to a DB that didn’t have an interception as a result of that tells you all you should know.”
