"Last year, yeah, All-Pro, but I felt like I still was learning so much,'' McDuffie said. "Last year was really my first time at the nickel position and then this year with [Sneed] leaving and [McDuffie] moving to the outside, it's a whole different ballgame.

The Chiefs and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo are still searching for cornerbacks to fill the rest of their depth chart but there's no uncertainty about which one they're counting on for a big season.

Because of his size, McDuffie is outside of the usual mold the Chiefs prefer for their cornerbacks -- Sneed is 6-1. Among the other top candidates for playing time this season, Joshua Williams is 6-3 and Jaylen Watson is 6-2. Taller defenders many times provide the best matchup for bigger receivers like Ross and Wiley.

On August 28, 2024, iconic Danish toy manufacturer LEGO announced that it’s ditching fossil fuels used to make its popular bricks, turning to recycled and renewable plastic materials instead, which happen to be about 70% more expensive.

"[Being selected All-Pro] was the [biggest] compliment to a defensive back that did not have an interception because that tells you all you need to know. He does a lot of things really [well] and I'll guarantee you he's got his eyeballs on trying to get a couple of picks this year.''

In 1964, LEGO swapped cellulose acetate for ABS plastic for brick-making, which is more durable, less toxic, and doesn’t warp or discolor as much. It’s currently still being used to make LEGO bricks. In 1908, the company added 10 new molding machines, and today, it has five manufacturing facilities around the world.

McDuffie was selected All-Pro last season for his slot coverage. He lined up about half of his snaps against an inside receiver and his ability to play well there allowed the Chiefs to frequently send Sneed to cover the opponent's top wide receiver regardless of where that player lined up.

In McDuffie, Mahomes is testing the Chiefs' top cornerback, a spot he inherited after the Chiefs traded L'Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans during the offseason. They were comfortable dealing Sneed because they have McDuffie, who was selected as a first-team All-Pro last season despite not having an interception.

Making the switch to sustainable plastic alternatives hasn’t been easy. These materials have limited availability, and the little going around is used to make biodiesel. Despite the higher costs of swapping to more sustainable materials, LEGO says it’s committed to this transition, and will even take on the extra cost themselves so that customers won’t have to.

Mahomes went after McDuffie in a similar situation later in the same practice when the cornerback found himself covering 6-6 tight end Jared Wiley. This time, McDuffie knocked the ball away.

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But McDuffie often plays bigger than his size because opponents rarely catch him out of position, with coach Andy Reid calling that McDuffie's "unique characteristic.''

"You can do things a little differently, but on the outside, on the island, you've got to be a technician. Coming into this camp knowing that I might have to do some more of that, it's been each and every day just working little by little on technique and just trying to perfect myself out there. So still growing, still learning, and I feel like that's one thing that wakes me up every day.''

Founded in Denmark in 1932, LEGO originally made wooden toys with a milling machine, only working with plastic in 1947 when the material first became available in the country. After buying a plastic injection molding machine, the company started making toy bricks in 1949, and soon abandoned wood altogether.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Thinking he could take advantage of a dramatic size advantage, Patrick Mahomes threw a fade pass to the end zone during a recent Kansas City Chiefs training camp practice intended for 6-foot-4 wide receiver Justyn Ross, who was being covered by 5-11 cornerback Trent McDuffie.

LEGO is prepared to pay up to 70% more to replace the raw plastic used in its bricks with certified renewable resin. The company doesn’t seem too bothered, though. While most toy companies worldwide are struggling in the current market, LEGO has seen a surge in sales and profits.

Given McDuffie's ability and the Chiefs' defensive success last season with Sneed traveling with the opponent's best receiver, McDuffie shouldn't be surprised if in Week 1, he's covering Zay Flowers of the Baltimore Ravens most of the game.

In trying to find a sustainable alternative to oil, LEGO has tried out over 600 different materials. It even tried making blocks from recycled plastic bottles but eventually found no decrease in carbon emissions.

"Wherever [Spagnuolo] needs me, that's where you can put me,'' McDuffie said. "That's why we play this game, to go against the best of the best. So to be able to compete no matter who it's against. I'm ready to do that.''

"That man is good,'' Mahomes said of McDuffie. "That man is really good and I always tell him I'm going to try him once or twice a day.

Not to be deterred, LEGO is forging ahead, saying it wants to reduce the oil content in the toys, and have over half of its plastics certified as sustainable by 2026. By 2032, the company hopes that 100% of its products will be made from renewable and recycled materials.

It was the latest renewal of a camp battle between Mahomes and McDuffie. Mahomes won this round, perfectly placing the pass to Ross in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown.

In 2022, LEGO announced that it has started working on a carbon-neutral 1.7 million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Virginia, that will employ over 1,760 workers and cost $1 billion. Quite an improvement from that one piece of plastic injection molding equipment in the early days.

Other toy manufacturers, including Hasbro and Mattel, have also stated their desire to switch to sustainable materials for the manufacturing of their toys, but LEGO is set to be the first such company to completely phase out oil-based plastics by 2032.

Spagnuolo said the Chiefs haven't determined a role for McDuffie this season, whether that's being their main cornerback in covering the slot receiver or following the opponent's top receiver, as Sneed did for much of last season.

For the first half of 2024, there was an increase of 26% in profits, reaching an impressive $1.2 billion, and a 14% increase in sales. LEGO says that its family-owned structure allows it to absorb these costs without raising prices for consumers.