The Kansas City Chiefs have completely flipped their secondary upside down this offseason, marking a new era on that side of the ball. For starters, the Chiefs traded Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams. Kansas City then saw Jaylen Watson follow McDuffie to the Rams in free agency, with Bryan Cook ultimately signing with the Cincinnati Bengals.
To remedy those losses, the Chiefs brought in safety Alohi Gilman on a three-year deal and slot cornerback Kader Kohou on a one-year deal. Kansas City hopes that those new guys, plus Nohl Williams, Kristian Fulton, Chamarri Conner, Chris Roland-Wallace, and Jaden Hicks, will step up to the plate.
While the Chiefs’ safety room looks to be in good shape, the cornerback room still leaves much to be desired. Kansas City likely doesn’t want to put all its eggs into the baskets of Fulton and Williams. The Chiefs need options they can turn to, which leads us to the potential return of free agent cornerback Nazeeh Johnson.
Chiefs’ Lack of CB Depth Could Help Spur Nazeeh Johnson’s Return to Kansas City
The versatile defensive back is still sitting on the open market as the third week of the NFL free agency gets underway. The 27-year-old Johnson, who was taken in the seventh round of the 2022 draft, did a great job sticking on the 53-man roster as a rookie and carving out a role for himself.
Johnson appeared in 11 games as a rookie, with all of those snaps on special teams. He missed the following season in 2023 due to a torn ACL. However, he found himself in the starting lineup in six games during the 2024 campaign.
During that season, the 5-foot-10, 199-pound safety had 56 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, three pass deflections, a sack, and a quarterback hit. He also wasn’t a liability in coverage, as opposing QBs only completed 54.8 percent of their passes against Johnson with three TDs, and a 107.7 passer rating when targeted.
Heading into last season, the hope was that Johnson would take another step. But Johnson was sidelined by a shoulder injury. He eventually returned to the field in Weeks 17 and 18, but only played on special teams.
Despite the 2025 season not going to plan, Johnson wants to return to Kansas City, as he said back in February to Robert Niedzwiecki of The Winchester Star.
""I think [the Chiefs] are going to bring me back, said Johnson via Robert Niedzwiecki of The Winchester Star. I can test the market and see how much I'm valued, but the Chiefs know what I can do. We can't have communication right now because of the [free agency rules], but I have a good understanding with them. They know my talent level.""
The Chiefs, knowing not only what Johnson brings to the table on defense but also on special teams, should make it easy for them to bring him back. Williams could be a star in the making for Kansas City, but the jury is still out on Fulton and Kohou, who missed all of last season due to injury.
Spotrac projects Johnson's market value to be a one-year, $1.2 million deal, which should be a no-brainer for the Chiefs.
Johnson can give you special team snaps and is familiar with Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme, which is valuable considering the changes in the secondary. Therefore, it's only a matter of time before we see the former seventh-round pick back in Kansas City for another run.