The Kansas City Chiefs have done a full 180-degree overhaul of the secondary from top to bottom this offseason. General manager Brett Veach let a bevy of Super Bowl champions walk in free agency, most notably Bryan Cook and Jaylen Watson. He also traded away All-Pro Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams for a package of draft picks.
It seems that one of the Chiefs' foundational beliefs is that they trust their defensive coaching staff above all else to draft and develop talent at cornerback and safety. At the forefront of this process is defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and, unarguably, the best secondary coach in all of football, Dave Merritt. These two have tag-teamed, putting together the best secondaries possible, no matter the draft pedigree.
However, the 2026 season may prove to be their toughest challenge yet. KC's two starting outside corners are either new or seeing very increased playing time in sixth-overall pick Mansoor Delane and second-year man Nohl Williams, while free-agent signing, safety Alohi Gilman, is expected to play in the same role Justin Reid had perfected so well in his time in KC.
Jaden Hicks in line for massive opportunity with Chiefs in 2026
This leaves a spot up for grabs to start alongside Gilman on the backend. Chamarri Conner will hopefully see more time at safety than slot corner, but is probably not a guy you'd want playing 70-plus percent of snaps. Fourth-round pick in 2024, Jaden Hicks, however, has all the tools to potentially be a lead safety in this league for years to come and has shown flashes of brilliance on the field. His stepping up this season may prove to be the most beneficial occurrence for the entire defense.
During his rookie season, Hicks didn't see much playing time as he was stuffed on the depth chart behind Reid and Cook. He did make the most of 22% of snaps, accounting for 29 total tackles and an impressive three interceptions on five passes defensed. The ability of Hicks to create turnovers is a big reason why the Chiefs drafted him in the first place. At 6'1", 215 lbs, his ability to go up and high point the football was a strength of his in college.
Hicks followed that year up with increased playing time on 40% of snaps and showed off his versatility, tallying 42 total tackles and a propensity to crash the pocket with two QB hits and a half a sack. Like many young DBs, Hicks did have some issues in the mental part of the game, especially playing in a defense as complicated as Spags' scheme can be sometimes, when the coach asks so much from his safeties.
Heading into his third-year, this may be Hicks' last chance to prove he is worthy of playing starter-level snaps. It would behoove the Chiefs to at least give him the opportunity because the talent is there, and if his mind can catch up, this Chiefs secondary will get a lot tougher to play against.
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