You wouldn't exactly call it a safety dance, but the Kansas City Chiefs are certainly shuffling some things around at the position. Less than week before active roster cuts are due, the Chiefs are staring at an injury list that includes a few too many safeties for a unit that's not exactly stacked with proven talent.
While other positions have drawn considerable concern, the safety position has been overlooked by most fans—the back end of a defense almost representing its level of importance. But with the worries about Alohi Gilman and Chamarri Conner in particular, it's safe to wonder just how the Chiefs might approach the secondary as Week 1 comes into view.
Chiefs have no clear timeline for either starting safety
The Chiefs still have three weeks to prep for their opening game against the Denver Broncos, which means minor injuries will have time to heal. But at this point, no one can say with any real clarity how severe Gilman’s back injury or Conner’s knee injury is. Both are the most experienced and reliable safeties on the roster. Both are penciled in as starters for this season. Both have already missed practice and preseason games.
Gilman's the newest arrival to the injury report, a pre-game addition when his back began to spasm during warm-ups before the Chiefs took the field at Raymond James Stadium to face the Buccaneers last Saturday. Gilman not only missed the game, but he also sat out of practice on Monday and it would make sense to continue to hold him out through a meaningless third and final preseason affair on Friday against the visiting Seattle Seahawks.
The same can be said for Conner in terms of keeping him off the field. The fourth-year safety ran into Tyquan Thornton in practice nearly a week ago (last Wednesday)—the two players "banged knees", per Andy Reid. The Chiefs attempted to ease Conner back into practice, but that plan didn't work and he's remained out ever since. Reid mentioned on Monday that he was "getting better" but offered no further update or timeline.
The Chiefs’ depth at safety gets thin in a hurry
If, for some reason, Gilman and/or Conner aren't available for Week 1, things could head south very quickly at the position. Gilman was signed to a three-year deal this spring to serve as the veteran rudder for a young secondary that lost its best safety, Bryan Cook, to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency. Conner is the holdover headed into a very motivated contract year.
Beyond those two, Jaden Hicks has been one of the Chiefs' preseason stars, but he spent much of last season in Steve Spagnuolo's doghouse for mental lapses and has yet to prove he can handle starter's reps in his first two seasons. Then come a number of rookie free agents, from Xavier Nwankpa to DeShon Singleton to Tanner McAlister. Chris Roland-Wallace has the versatility to slide over, but he's played well in slot corner reps in camp.
The only tell for those outside of Arrowhead will be found on the transaction wire. If the Chiefs make a move for safety help, that will signal some organizational hesitancy concerning the availability of one or both of the veteran starters. There's time for both to heal, but safety has become a position of potential worry as the regular season fast approaches.
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