Not every move will work out as intended, but the Kansas City Chiefs absolutely played things correctly with Kader Kohou.
As NFL rosters settle into a more permanent form in the days after the deadline for final preseason cuts and subsequent waiver claims, it's possible to look at how the Kansas City Chiefs evaluated their options. When it comes to Kohou, the Chiefs rightly judged whether or not he'd remain available even as they decided he wasn't part of the season-opening plan at corner.
Kohou joined the Chiefs practice squad earlier this week, which gives the team another solid depth piece at cornerback who specializes inside but can slide out to the boundary as well. For most of the preseason, Kohou was central in any conversation of slot corner competitors, the most experienced of all players in camp vying for the role alongside holdover Chris Roland-Wallace and fourth-round rookie Jadon Canady.
The Chiefs made a calculated gamble with Kader Kohou at active roster cuts and it worked out just like they hoped.
It made a lot of sense for general manager Brett Veach to add Kohou in the first place. The cornerback initially entered the NFL with the Miami Dolphins as a priority free agent out of Texas A&M-Commerce and surprised everyone by making the active roster. For the next three years, Kohou became a versatile contributor across the secondary who started 13 games in his first season alone. He would go on to start every game in 2023 and another 9 games in '24 before an injury sidelined him for the entirety of his contract year.
Kohou's arrival in K.C. felt like an ideal low-risk maneuver for Veach, with only a one-year, $1.8M commitment attached. In a revamped secondary with pillars like Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson departed along with numerous role players, Kohou profiled as reliable help in a number of places. In a thinner secondary, Kohou would be discussed as an important piece. As it is, Veach's impressive rebuild features more talent than anyone could have expected in a single offseason.
In the end, the Chiefs went with Roland-Wallace as the most likely starter in the slot while carrying Canady on the roster. L'Jarius Sneed also has the potential to play there with so many others capable of carrying opposing receivers outside. Kohou's path back to the active roster might not come without an inciting incident, an injury to someone higher up the depth chart or someone proving incapable of holding down the expected role. But having someone like that in the fold is valuable in the face of a grueling season, and the Chiefs were smart for having played things correctly.
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