Trent

McDuffie

Fellow cornerback Jaylen Watson is joining him on injured reserve. With nothing left to play for, the Chiefs are packing it in for the year. McDuffie leads the team in pass breakups at six. Watson is one behind him. Down their top two corners, Kansas City will be an easy target for Bo Nix this week. Fantasy managers can feel free to fire Nix up as a QB1 one last time.

McDuffie is listed as DNP for the second straight day. He has been dealing with the knee issue since Week 14 and may not play the rest of this season with the Chiefs eliminated from playoff contention. Fellow CB Jaylen Watson (groin) was also DNP for the second straight day. Both are on the wrong side of questionable with a Christmas game against the Broncos on the horizon.

McDuffie, who missed the team’s Week 16 loss to the Titans, continues to deal with a knee injury sustained in Week 14, which is a massive blow to a defense that operates primarily from nickel. It remains to be seen if McDuffie will make it back this season or if the team will simply place him on season-ending injured reserve.

Neither will LB Leo Chenal (shoulder), who did not practice all week. McDuffie gave us a courtesy limited on Thursday, but it doesn’t look like the Chiefs are planning on making him play hurt while they’re eliminated. Chiefs non-McDuffie corners versus Titans wideouts is a matchup that screams “meaningless Week 16 game.”

Reporters expected a DNP, but McDuffie got in a limited session officially. We still consider him at least a bit unlikely to miss Week 16’s game against the Titans, but McDuffie is at least making a play to be active.

McDuffie appears unlikely to play at this point. With the Chiefs having been eliminated from playoff contention, there is not need to rush him back. The Chiefs’ defense can still pose problems for Titans rookie QB Cam Ward, even with its No. 1 cornerback sidelined.

McDuffie went down with the knee issue in Week 14 and was forced to miss the Chiefs’ following game. He was listed as questionable, but the team ruled him out with their inactives. Now that the Chiefs are out of the playoff hunt, they could shut down some of their injured veterans. It’s possible that McDuffie gets the rest of the year offer to let his knee heal properly.

McDuffie contested a leaping, downfield catch while covering Texans WR Nico Collins in Week 14. As McDuffie came back to earth, his left knee bowed inward, beneath him. He underwent rigorous testing thereafter, and seemingly had a small chance of returning to the game, but the training staff ultimately kept him sidelined. McDuffie practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday and Thursday. His Friday participation level is unknown. If he is unable to play this week, he seemingly has decent odds of returning next week.

McDuffie departed in the first quarter after landing hard while defending a deep pass to Texans alpha wide receiver Nico Collins. He would remain on the field before being helped off by trainers, who would check the knee for stability. McDuffie spent the remainder of the first quarter testing his knee on the sideline before being ruled out near the half. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the game that McDuffie hyperextended his knee.

McDuffie had his fifth-year option picked up by the team earlier this offseason and is now under contract through the 2026 season. McDuffie earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2023 and was a second-team All-Pro in 2024 after tallying two interceptions and 13 pass breakups while earning a PFF coverage grade of 80.6. McDuffie will earn a base salary just north of $2.613 million this season, with that number jumping to $13.632 million next season. It wouldn’t be surprising if a new deal was reached before the start of the 2026 campaign if McDuffie continues to perform at the high level we’ve seen over the last two seasons.