Chiefs' failed waiver wire claims during 53-man roster cuts show they want more from their cornerback room

It's not a big surprise that the Kansas City Chiefs sought to improve their cornerback room at the roster cut deadline.

After adding DE Cam Thomas and TE Peyton Hendershort via trade, cornerback was one of the biggest remaining needs on the roster. Those on the 90-man offseason roster failed to take full advantage of the opportunity they had in the wake of the L'Jarius Sneed trade. It felt like it was only a matter of time before they made some sort of move to improve that position group, especially with players like Josh Williams, Nazeeh Johnson, and Jaylen Watson battling injury.

New Chiefs CB Eric Scott Jr. wasn't the only dart throw the team made in an attempt to improve their cornerback room during the waiver wire period. According to reports from ESPN's Field Yates and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Chiefs submit waiver wire claims for two more cornerbacks: Former Jets CB Shemar Bartholomew and former 49ers CB Samuel Womack.

Both players were among the most popular waiver wire targets. Bartholomew had four claims submitted with the Chiefs, Saints, Chargers, and Panthers (winning claim). Womack had three claims with the Chiefs, Eagles, and Colts (winning claim).

If you're not familiar with the NFL's waiver wire system, the Chiefs had the lowest possible priority on the waiver wire system after winning Super Bowl LVIII. That means any of the 31 teams who submit a claim, would have beat them out. The Panthers had the top priority after being the worst team in football last year. The Colts were 15th in the waiver wire priority.

Womack is a player the Chiefs are quite familiar with. They'd brought the 5-foot-9 and 190-pound Womack to Kansas City ahead of the 2022 NFL draft on a top-30 visit. He had the most pass breakups in Toledo Rockets history with 39 in 41 games played during his collegiate career. They're also familiar with Womack from his past two seasons playing for the San Francisco 49ers.

Bartholomew was one of the top-performing cornerbacks in the NFL this preseason. He allowed no catches on nine targets and forced one incomplete pass, allowing just a 39.6 passer rating into his coverage according to PFF. The 6-foot-1 and 200-pound defensive back was an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Southern this year, but previously played for Northwestern State University, where Chiefs legend Joe Delaney played college football.

Both players are vastly different in their roles in the NFL, as Womack is primarily a slot corner with the ability to play wide, while Bartholomew is strictly an outside cornerback. It just goes to show that the Super Bowl champions are looking at any possible way they can improve and stabilize their cornerback room in a post-L'Jarius Sneed era. They wanted someone to run away with the No. 2 cornerback job and no one did. If they're to use a platoon approach this season, they're going to need to raise the floor of the room as much as possible.

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