ST JOSEPH, MISSOURI – JULY 28: Wide receiver Mecole Hardman #17 of the Kansas City Chiefs catches a pass against defensive back Deandre Baker #30, during training camp at Missouri Western State University on July 28, 2021 in St Joseph, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Which Kansas City Chiefs players will be fighting for their jobs in training camp?
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off of yet another playoff appearance (their seventh in a row and eighth in the last nine years) and another first-place finish in the AFC West.
The team won the 2019 Super Bowl, lost it in 2020 and was eliminated in a heartbreaking AFC Championship defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals, who beat the Chiefs 27-24 in overtime.
Kansas City will also be without otherworldly receiver Tyreek Hill who they traded to the Miami Dolphins in March for five draft picks. He will suit up for another organization for the first time in his professional career after making six consecutive Pro Bowls with the Chiefs.
In the upcoming season, the Chiefs will once again have their offense led by a deadly combination of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce with their defense led by Chris Jones.
Who are three players that will be fight for their jobs come training camp?
3. CB DeAndre Baker
The Chiefs’ front office wasted no time in this year’s draft when they took cornerbacks in the first, fourth and seventh round, only to trade for another corner in Lonnie Johnson after the draft.
One could make the assumption this corner-heavy approach means the Chiefs’ brass isn’t satisfied with their current group of cornerbacks. The addition of Johnson, a player with three years of NFL experience under his belt already, could signal the end for DeAndre Baker, who as of now has not really performed all that well for Kansas City.
The 24-year-old Baker only made 10 appearances across two seasons for the Chiefs before. Not to mention, he’s had some questionable off-field issues including four counts of robbery with a firearm back in 2020. The charges against Baker were dropped but this remains a stain on his reputation. It may be time for the Chiefs to cut bait with Baker and move on to the next option.
