Chiefs Underdog Eclipses the $20 Million CB With a Blazing Training Camp
KANSAS CITY — Under mid-summer heat where “money downs” echo across the field, an unheralded name is reshaping the conversation in the Chiefs’ cornerback room: Nazeeh Johnson. No splashy contract, no fanfare — just a streak of practices where he keeps stacking wins: disciplined eyes, crisp transitions, late hands at the catch point, and the kind of timing that forces quarterbacks to hitch and reset.
Across from him is Kristian Fulton, the two-year, $20 million addition brought in to stabilize the boundary. He’s practicing, competing, and showing why the Chiefs invested. Yet the more Johnson knifes in front of routes and finishes clean at the ball, the more this battle stops being about spring projections and starts being about August tape.
This is less a price-tag story than a role-fit story. Steve Spagnuolo’s defense thrives on shape-shifting personnel — nickel, dime, simulated pressure — and ruthless leverage management against two-way routes from the slot. In that framework, Johnson pops for his footwork and leverage integrity; Fulton, with frame and play strength, still profiles as a strong counter to bigger vertical threats on the boundary. With both players healthy and working, the takeaway hardens: the tape decides, not the paycheck.
Head coach Andy Reid put the standard into plain language after practice:
“He’s delivered outstanding form that’s eclipsed our big-ticket move despite a modest contract; Fulton has to prove himself worthy again — this is Kansas City: when you wear red and gold, starting jobs are earned by commitment, not money. If you don’t put in the effort, you’ll be cut.”
That bar is pushing both corners forward. In team periods, Johnson isn’t guessing — he opens his hips on time, keeps his eyes disciplined at the receiver’s hips, and finishes with late hands that turn borderline catches into clean PBUs. Fulton counters with composed press technique, avoiding an overeager first strike and using length to cloud throwing lanes down the sideline. Different styles, both valuable inside Spagnuolo’s layered coverages.
As preseason tempo rises, the test shifts from flashes to consistency. If Johnson keeps transporting camp form onto third-and-seven, the staff will recalibrate personnel packages accordingly. If Fulton converts practice rhythm into money-down stops, the $20 million investment will surface where it matters most — on drives that tilt games.
Either way, Kansas City is trending toward what every contender wants: a flexible cornerback room. One player who can clamp the boundary against vertical Xs; another who can flex into nickel, handle crossers, and hold up in run fits when opponents crunch formations inside. It’s not a zero-sum race so much as a pressure chamber — the competition itself is making the defense better.
When the sun drops behind the bleachers and the film rolls, the calculus doesn’t change. Snaps aren’t bought; they’re earned. And right now, the underdog is earning his way onto the field — even while a $20 million corner fights to prove he still belongs in the heaviest moments.
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