Kansas City Chiefs’ most versatile defensive back ready for more action in 2nd season

A player who has lined up at safety, cornerback and nickel in his college and pro careers, Chamarri Conner has the ideal description for that collective experience.

“I look at it as just playing football,” Conner said.

He’ll be doing more of that for the Chiefs this season. When cornerback L’Jarius Sneed moved on to the Tennessee Titans, the door opened for more snaps in the secondary, and many figure to go to Conner.

He’ll remain on the move because that’s his strength, but slot corner will get some extra attention. That’s where Trent McDuffie played last season and earned All-Pro honors.

McDuffie slides to a boundary cornerback role, and coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has said it hasn’t been determined if McDuffie will travel with the opponent’s top wide receiver, as Sneed did last season.

But Conner, a fourth-round draft pick in 2023, said he’s ready to step into the McDuffie role, a position he played at Virginia Tech, where he started for four seasons.

“I’m very comfortable at the nickel spot,” Conner said. “I’ve been playing it since high school. I just had to get back into it.

“The nickel in a lot of defenses is the playmaker’s spot. It’s a good spot for me.”

Last season, Conner gradually increased his playing time. Through the first three months, the majority of action came on special teams.

Then starting safety Bryan Cook was injured in the Week 13 game at the Green Bay Packers, and Conner’s season changed. He played more than half the defensive snaps over the final five games and collected his first NFL interception against the Buffalo Bills.

The action picked up in the postseason. In the Divisional Round playoff game at Buffalo, safety Mike Edwards was injured on the first play. Conner stepped in and logged 76 of the 77 snaps, recording a forced fumble and collecting 10 tackles.

Conner was the highest-graded Chiefs defensive player in that game, according to Pro Football Focus. He felt the bounce from last year’s playoffs heading into 2024.

“It was a great postseason,” Conner said. “I definitely think it helped getting all those plays under my belt, playing in those big games.”

Defensive backs coach Dave Merritt said he’d never had a rookie play as many positions as Conner last season. That versatility should help Conner play a bigger role on this season’s defense.

“You have different jobs,” Conner said. “But the approach is the same.”