Mansoor Delane‘s shoulder injury seems to be a thing of the past. On Monday’s practice, the rookie cornerback was seen wearing a full-contact jersey and shoulder pads for the first time in all of the Kansas City Chiefs training camp.
That is a huge sign of progression as there are three weeks to go before the 2026 NFL regular season starts. Delane was the sixth overall pick in the draft so the expectations for him are huge.
Delane is highly regarded as the best cornerback in this rookie class and being under star defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the sky is the limit. At first, he was able to avoid the PUP list, but now he seems ready to go.
Delane has huge shoes to fill
The Chiefs lost both starting cornerbacks in Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Coincidentally, both went to the Rams, but that left a big hole on the Chiefs roster, one that Delane is trusted to fill.
Alongside Delane, Nohl Williams is expected to take the other starting cornerback role. Williams is a second-year player and had seven passes defended with 48 combined tackles last year. He shows promise as he allowed just a 52.5 completion percentage when targeted last season.
The Chiefs have a habit with CBs
Since 2020, the Chiefs have parted ways with several star or key starting cornerbacks. Whether in free agency or via trade, it’s a part of a recurring strategy to manage salary cap space rather than pay top-of-market prices. As of now, it’s worked wonderful for them, though. These are the ones that have left:
- Trent McDuffie
- Jaylen Watson
- L’Jarius Sneed
- Charvarius Ward
