Jaden Hicks is more confident than ever coming into his third season. The Kansas City Chiefs are counting on it.
Hicks was the Chiefs' fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. After an unexpected slide into the draft's third day, the selection of Hicks was widely hailed as a steal for K.C. But through his first two seasons, Hicks has come up short on those expectations, mired in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's doghouse for stretches. Coming into the '26 campaign, it's safe to wonder whether Hicks will ever live up to the hype.
Through the Chiefs' first two preseason games, it feels like the answer is yes. Hicks has been sensational in short stretches (no roster lock ever plays too many preseason reps) in both of Kansas City's exhibitions (versus L.A Rams, at Tampa Bay), so while the sample size is unreliable by definition, it's still heartening to see him trusting his instincts more than ever.
Hicks said he's feeling more at home in Spagnuolo's system after two years of immersion. "Yeah, [I'm] just getting comfortable with who I'm playing with, all the guys. Definitely going into year three, it's much better," he said during a post-practice press conference on Wednesday.
Hicks admitted to reporters that his confidence had dipped at times when his mistakes were made clear. "I would say maybe last year I let my confidence dip down, not trusting myself, but in this game, you're going to have ups and downs, and I feel like the biggest part is just to keep your confidence, keep under control," said Hicks. "Learning that and realizing what it has to take and what you have to do to make sure you stay there. I feel like that helped a lot.
"I felt like I was doing the right thing, but sometimes it wasn't. Sometimes the coaches would get on you and stuff like that, which they should, and just some of that confidence might have dipped."Jaden Hicks
Hicks has played in every single game since entering the NFL, but he's been slow to climb the depth chart. It made sense that he would sit at first with Justin Reid, Bryan Cook, and Chamarri Conner also around. But after Reid left, Hicks's playing time didn't increase quite as much as expected—from 31 percent to 43 percent—even as the Chiefs used Conner as a slot corner. The Chiefs benched him in previous games, and there were four contests in 2025 in which he played 11 snaps or fewer.
The mental miscues were frustrating Spagnuolo, who even publicly spoke of his struggles last December: "There have been flashes of good football played there. I’ve brought him in a couple of times, and he’s made some mistakes that I wouldn’t have thought he would have made in his second season.
On Wednesday, Hicks said those one-on-one moments with Spags have been helpful. "He's a guru at this, and he's helping me understand what offenses like to do, what to look for from a defensive perspective. He's given me so many good nuggets that I can look for in the game, and I feel like that's improved my gameplay as well."
The Chiefs have swapped out veteran free agent Alohi Gilman, who signed a three-year deal in March, with Cook, who left for Cincinnati, but other than that, the Chiefs are largely leaning on the same talent as last season. Conner will shift to safety full-time after the Chiefs brought in multiple competitors for nickel corner. If Hicks can play both more comfortably and confidently, the Chiefs' secondary will be much more dynamic. The physical gifts are apparent. If the mental side clicks, everyone involved will be happy.
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