With the opening of training camps last week, the Kansas City Chiefs have begun their journey toward another successful season. Expectations for the team remain sky-high, especially after the influx of new defensive talent the team brought in during the offseason.
Perhaps the most crucial addition they made was the selection of cornerback Trent McDuffie with the 21st overall pick. The team traded up in the first round to draft him, and after losing Tyrann Mathieu and Charvarius Ward to free agency, they’ll need the fresh-faced phenom to put in some good reps for them this season.
At his first training camp press conference last weekend, McDuffie hinted at his role in the defensive scheme, saying he is capable of playing just about anywhere in the secondary.
“I’m all over the place,” he told reporters, “Inside, outside, wherever the coaches need me. I tell them wherever you need me to play I’m going to do my best to make sure I’m ready for my opportunity.”
Before he is given an every-down role, though, he’ll need to make sure to stay off the injury report. After being injured in minicamp earlier this summer, McDuffie acknowledged the setback but insisted that he was 100 percent ready to take on the challenge of his first NFL training camp and preseason.
“I was a little dinged up, it was a really long camp,” He said of the minor setback, “But I’m feeling good, feeling healthy and just ready to get back out there and get with the team.”
The best ability at this point in his career will be availability, and the Chiefs’ coaching staff is sure to want him on the practice field as much as possible as the team prepares for another rigorous 17-game schedule. Rookie seasons always present obstacles for future stars to overcome, and McDuffie seems poised to take on every challenge head-on as he competes for a starting role.
“It’s a dream to come out here in the NFL but it’s especially amazing to come out here to the Chiefs, a great organization under Andy Reid and get in with some of these vets,” McDuffie said. “So I’m really excited to be out here.”
