With a solid career background, Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie is embarking on his third NFL season with a new challenge: stepping up as the team’s top cornerback.
The departure of former Chiefs corner L’Jarius Sneed in the offseason trade to the Tennessee Titans left a significant gap in the team’s secondary. McDuffie believes he is the right person to fill the void and shadow the opponent’s top wide receiver.
During Monday’s practice, McDuffie expressed his willingness to take on any defensive role assigned by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. He is prepared to face the best in the game and compete at a high level.
In the previous season, McDuffie excelled as the Chiefs’ slot corner, earning First-Team All-Pro honors. Transitioning to the outside corner role, he recognizes the new challenges and is focused on improving his technique to excel in his new position.
McDuffie acknowledges the differences in responsibilities between playing in the slot and on the outside, emphasizing the need to be a technician and work on perfecting his skills to succeed in his new role.
Regardless of his position, McDuffie is known as one of the Chiefs’ top defenders. His success last season was attributed to his understanding of Spagnuolo’s defensive system and his ability to disrupt routes and impact the game.
McDuffie emphasizes the importance of knowing his responsibilities on each play and disrupting routes to succeed in Spagnuolo’s defensive schemes. Despite not having interceptions in his career so far, he remains a valuable asset to the team.
While McDuffie aims to improve his interception numbers in his new role, Spagnuolo expresses confidence in the cornerback’s abilities and praises his game sense and recognition by his peers.