The Kansas City Chiefs went to great lengths to revamp their defense this offseason, especially the secondary. Clearly, Steve Spagnuolo and company think they could've done much better than what they showed last season.
While that makes perfect sense, coming off their lone losing season under Andy Reid's tenure, the Chiefs may have done a bit too much earlier this summer. And potentially jumped the gun with some minor signings who may not even make the final 53-man roster.
That's especially the case with their nickel cornerback spot. Kansas City signed former Miami Dolphins CB Kader Kohou to slide in as the team's starting slot corner. But given the current picture and added competition since then, it wouldn't be shocking to see Kohou be the odd man out.
Chiefs' offseason additions put Kader Kohou's roster spot in jeopardy
As things stand now, Kohou is in the midst of a three-headed battle with the recently drafted Jadon Canady and two-year veteran Christian Roland-Wallace. They also have Kevin Knowles on the roster, who flashed in limited action last season. Not to mention Chamarri Conner, who, despite how poorly he's performed at nickel, continued to be the trusted man by the coaching staff.
The Chiefs probably wouldn't have drafted Canady if they felt great about Kohou. They usually keep rookies on long leashes, and Spags will give him every opportunity to earn the starting spot in training camp. If that's the case, it's hard to envision a scenario where KC keeps Kohou.
Canady can also contribute right away on special teams. He has more value to the organization, being on a cheap four-year contract, and will find ways to get to the field out of the gate. Kohou has barely played special teams in his career, so he's at a disadvantage there as well.
The Chiefs won't have much margin for error in 2026, and Kohou was never expected to be an impact player in Missouri. The 27-year-old missed the entire 2025 season with a partially torn ACL, and while he's been fully cleared to return to the field, most players (apparently not Patrick Mahomes) need more than a year to get back to full speed after that injury.
Coach Spagnuolo is a bit of a mad scientist, and he has more than enough pieces and resources to move around the defensive backfield. With limited roster spots, they're highly unlikely to carry four slot cornerbacks into their 53-man roster.
Still, that doesn't necessarily mean this might be the end of the road for Kohou and the Chiefs. They liked him enough to roll the dice on him after a season-ending injury, so they could still elect to stash him on the 17-man practice squad.
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