The Kansas City Chiefs made several key acquisitions this past offseason, with one of them being safety Alohi Gilman. The former Charger signed with the Chiefs on a three-year, $24 million deal with $15 million guaranteed.
For the price tag, Chiefs fans expected a solid-to-good deep safety who could bolster the Chiefs' defense and replace the loss of safety Bryan Cook to the Cincinnati Bengals. However, he has been lackluster, and a cut in playing time has been evident, with him playing 49% of the Chiefs' defensive snaps (33) in Week 6 compared to 90% in Week 4 (76).
A steep decrease of playing time is not a good look, so what does it tell us?
Chiefs are changing things around on defense
When a player loses snaps like that, it shows that a team wants to look in a different direction in terms of who is on the field. The Chiefs decided to give more looks to former 2024 fourth-round pick Jaden Hicks (35 snaps, 51% of the Chiefs' defensive snaps in Week 6) and rotate them as the game went on.
Hicks and Gilman produced the same stat line on around the same number of snaps, both with two total tackles on the day. Now, one guy is making around $1.2 million this year and around $1.3 million next year, while the other makes $3.5 million, with that increasing to $9.5 million next season.
I am not saying one is better than the other, but when two players produce about the same at vastly different price points, it is tough to look at.
Gilman's struggles are catching up with him
Gilman has not had a good start to his 2026 campaign. Per Pro Football Focus, he ranks (among qualified NFL safeties) 76th in stops (2), 74th in solo tackles (12), 66th in passer rating allowed (117.5), 59th in yards per reception allowed (12.8), 36th in receptions allowed (6), and 25th in PBUs (1), having played 89% of the Chiefs' total defensive snaps through Week 6 (298). The stat sheet has not been his friend.
Now, are there things he is doing right? Yes, he has been a secure tackler when he gets his hands on the ball carrier, missing only one tackle the whole year. However, the vast majority of the time, when the ball is coming his way (especially in the passing game), he has been unable to deliver. With the price the Chiefs are paying, he should be able to make critical plays.
I always hope for players who join the Chiefs to be as successful as they possibly can be. Gilman's ability to bounce back will depend on him more than anything else. It will be an uphill climb, especially with him losing reps early in the season.
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