The Kansas City Chiefs have had an eventful offseason thus far following the bitterly disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, completely changing the roster in a bid to keep this dynastic run going.
One of the biggest changes from the 2025 roster to last year's will be in the secondary. Justin Reid, who spent the last three years in Kansas City before signing with the New Orleans Saints this offseason, was a respected veteran leader and beloved voice in the locker room.
Recent draft picks Bryan Cook and Jaden Hicks will now be the starting safeties. Hicks, in particular, might be the single biggest winner of the Chiefs' offseason as he now has an opportunity to become a star.
Chiefs S Jaden Hicks is KC's Biggest Offseason Winner
Similar to the reaction fans had when Jalen Royals fell to Kansas City in the fourth round, everyone was fairly stunned that the Chiefs landed Hicks with the 133rd selection of the 2024 NFL Draft. The former Washington State star has the kind of skill set that could keep him with the organization for years, and he'll now step into a starting role with heightened pressure.
Despite playing only 31% of the defensive snaps last season, Hicks was 12th in the league in interceptions (3) and ranked 35th out of 171 qualified safeties at Pro Football Focus. It felt like defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was grooming him for a larger role and with Reid gone, it's Hicks' time to shine.
On top of his impressive physicality as a tackler, Hicks is excellent in coverage. He surrendered a mere 59.2 passer rating when targeted during his rookie campaign, and there aren't any obvious flaws in his game. The fact that the Chiefs, who had previously given contracts to both Reid and Tyrann Mathieu, didn't heavily invest in the position suggests they believe that Hicks can be a premier starter.
So far so good, though it's admittedly a gamble to rely on two recent picks to help carry the secondary. Hicks appears up for the challenge, and it'll be fascinating to watch how he develops.