A friendly face in Chiefs’ locker room will help this new cornerback adapt to playbook
A new team with a new playbook seems to pose no problem for defensive back Antonio Hamilton.
Hamilton knows a friendly face in the Chiefs’ locker room to help him in the acclimation process: He and cornerback Alex Brown were college teammates at South Carolina State.
“I talk to him about certain things and he puts me in the loop,” Hamilton said. “I also talk with the coaches and get a different perspective.”
The veteran signed to a free-agent contract recently will be absorbing the playbook and learning a new defensive scheme under Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Hamilton, 27, offered a reassuring point of view steeped in his four seasons’ of experience in the NFL.
“What it boils down to is football,” he said. “Nothing about football has changed over the years, just terminology. It’s not about learning the full playbook because the playbook is just words.
“The style of ball that I see that they play is a lot of bump-and-run like I do, and I think once I get the terminology down, the playbook isn’t something that’s going to be an issue.”
The 6-foot, 195-pound Hamilton has appeared in 41 career NFL games, including two starts, totaling 38 tackles and four passes defensed. Hamilton can also contribute on special teams.
He spent the past two seasons with the New York Giants, where he appeared in 29 games with two starts. He entered the league in 2016 as an undrafted free agent with the Oakland Raiders.
His arrival Hamilton addresses a need in the Chiefs’ defensive secondary given the departure of cornerback Kendall Fuller, who signed with Washington.
