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Chiefs vs. Raiders Grades: KC Benefits from Change at Cornerback

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Chiefs vs. Raiders Grades: KC Benefits from Change at Cornerback


The Kansas City Chiefs did just enough to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday, but much of the discussion about the reigning back-to-back champions has revolved around a series of underwhelming performances, despite KC’s 11-1 record.

Who stood out in KC’s post-Thanksgiving victory? A closer look at Pro Football Focus grades from the Chiefs’ narrow win can point out some highlights and lowlights of the team’s standing late in the 2024 season.

The Chiefs have struggled to stabilize their cornerback position since losing No. 2 corner Jaylen Watson to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 7. Behind clear-cut No. 1 cornerback Trent McDuffie, 26-year-old former seventh-round pick Nazeeh Johnson has received the most opportunities since Watson’s injury. On Friday, Johnson got the start again but was pulled early in the game. After playing 90%, 100% and 94% of the defensive snaps in KC’s previous three weeks, Johnson played just 19% (13 snaps) against the Raiders. After a few surprise snaps from cornerback Keith Taylor, the Chiefs turned back to a familiar face for the rest of the game: 2022 fourth-round pick Joshua Williams.

After two weeks without seeing a single snap on defense, Williams took 78% of the defensive workload on Friday and was given a strong 79.0 grade from PFF, good for the Chiefs’ fourth-best grade of the day as Kansas City’s highest-graded defender.

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Will Williams get the nod on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers? Is he the new de facto starter opposite McDuffie? Could the Chiefs use Williams and Johnson in order to allow McDuffie to move into the slot instead of almost exclusively relying on safety Chamarri Conner (who recorded the team’s third-worst 44.2 PFF grade against Las Vegas) to cover slot receivers? These are questions for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive backs coach Dave Merritt to answer. With a solid day on Friday, Williams at least provides another option for KC’s struggling secondary.

In his first game back since suffering a torn ACL in January’s AFC Championship Game, defensive end Charles Omenihu took half of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps and graded out nicely from PFF in his return to live action.

Omenihu’s 71.0 mark isn’t eye-popping, but his workload and burst was immediately noteworthy for a player coming back from a serious injury and rehabilitation process.

Among qualifying Chiefs players (20+ snaps), left tackle Wanya Morris landed where most fans would have expected to see him after Friday’s disastrous start: alone at the bottom. Morris earned a ghastly 30.5 grade from PFF in a game that resulted in Morris’s benching deep into the fourth quarter. After sliding left guard Joe Thuney to left tackle for the end of Friday’s game, the Chiefs have their eyes set on the pending availability of newly signed left tackle D.J. Humphries.

Read More: Chris Jones on the ‘Self-Inflicted Wounds’ and Silver Linings of the Chiefs’ Defensive Performance vs. Raiders





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City Hall intruder fatally shot by employee in Lawrence, Kansas, officials say

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City Hall intruder fatally shot by employee in Lawrence, Kansas, officials say


An intruder was fatally shot by an armed city employee inside Lawrence City Hall in Kansas on Monday morning, officials said.

The 28-year-old man “forced his way into the building then broke through a door” on the fourth floor and into a secured area about 8 a.m., according to a police statement.

This led to an altercation with an armed city employee, Police Chief Rich Lockhart told reporters outside City Hall, about two miles north of the University of Kansas campus.

“During that altercation, the 28-year-old subject was shot and killed by the city employee,” the chief added.

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The intruder wasn’t immediately identified, and it wasn’t clear if he was armed.

Authorities didn’t immediately name the city employee or his job. But police did characterize the civil servant as “trained and authorized to carry a firearm.”

The fourth floor is home to the city manager, city attorney and budget manager.

Officials said they did not know why the man went to the fourth floor, and “it’s not someone that’s known to us,” Lockhart said.

City Hall was closed and should reopen Tuesday. A municipal court in the building won’t open again until Thursday.

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City Manager Craig Owens said he was grateful no city employees were hurt.

“I want to express my gratitude to the Lawrence, Kansas, Police Department work during the disturbing incident,” he said.



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IU football lands Kansas State transfer edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi

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IU football lands Kansas State transfer edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi


Indiana’s portal haul continued to grow Sunday as multiple outlets reported the addition of Kansas State edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi.

Osunsanmi has played in 36 games over the last four years and has 8.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss.  Most of that production came over the last two seasons.  He has a total of 47 QB pressures during his college career.

In 2025 he played in six games and had 20 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.  He suffered a season-ending injury in October.

He saw action in all 13 games in 2024 as a reserve defensive end and on special teams, recording 19 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble over 303 defensive snaps and 31 special teams plays.

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In 2023 he saw time in all 13 games as a reserve linebacker, a rush end on passing downs and on special teams.  He was tied for team-high honors with five tackles on kickoff coverage.

He played in four games in 2022 and preserved his redshirt.

The 6-foot-3 and 250-pound Osunsanmi has one year of eligibility remaining.

The Wichita, Kan. product (Wichita East H.S.) was regarded as the 232nd-best overall player in the nation for the Class of 2022 by 247Sports.

Osunsanmi will help fill the void left by outgoing edge rushers Mikail Kamara, Kellan Wyatt and Stephen Daley.

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More transfer portal information:

For complete coverage of IU football recruiting, GO HERE.

The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

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Kansas football transfer portal tracker: Jan. 4 developments for KU

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Kansas football transfer portal tracker: Jan. 4 developments for KU


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LAWRENCE — The Division I transfer portal window for college football is open from Jan. 2 through Jan. 16, and that means Sunday is another chance for the Kansas football program to shape its roster.

The Jayhawks already gained one public addition earlier this offseason in Grand Valley State transfer Jibriel Conde — whose signing was announced Dec. 4. Conde, who is making the jump up from Division II, is a 247Sports-rated three-star defensive lineman in the portal and is listed by KU as a defensive tackle. On Saturday, a number of current Kansas players — including redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Marshall, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Keaton Kubecka and redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Blake Herold — also outlined in social media posts on X that they are locked in with the program for the 2026 season.

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Marshall is set to compete for the starting quarterback job next season. Kubecka has the chance to step up into a more significant role at wide receiver. Herold is in line to be a key part of Kansas’ defensive line.

Those positives, though, don’t outweigh the fact that there has been a sizable group of players who have revealed their intentions to transfer away. Looking overall, when it comes to those whose decisions became public before and after the portal opened, the significant names to know include redshirt senior safety Lyrik Rawls, redshirt junior linebacker Trey Lathan and freshman quarterback David McComb. Lathan led KU in tackles in 2025.

Check in here for more updates during this transfer portal window about a KU team that finished 5-7 during the 2025 season, with transfer ratings as outlined by 247Sports.

Kansas football transfer portal additions

Jibriel Conde (3-star defensive lineman from Grand Valley State) — KU lists him as a defensive tackle

Kansas football transfer portal departures

Joseph Sipp Jr. (linebacker)

Jacoby Davis (cornerback)

Dylan Brooks (defensive end)

Jaidyn Doss (wide receiver)

Carter Lavrusky (offensive lineman)

Trey Lathan (linebacker)

Tyler Mercer (offensive lineman)

Harry Stewart III (running back)

Caleb Redd (3-star edge) — KU lists him as a defensive end

Aundre Gibson (3-star cornerback)

David McComb (3-star quarterback)

Kene Anene (3-star interior offensive lineman) — KU lists him as an offensive lineman

Laquan Robinson (3-star safety)

Jameel Croft Jr. (3-star cornerback)

Logan Brantley (3-star linebacker)

Greydon Grimes (3-star offensive tackle) — KU lists him as an offensive lineman

Jon Jon Kamara (3-star linebacker)

Lyrik Rawls (3-star safety)

Damani Maxson (3-star safety)

Jaden Hamm (tight end)

Bryce Cohoon (wide receiver)

JaCorey Stewart (linebacker)

Johnny Thompson Jr. (running back)

Efren Jasso (punter)

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

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