When evaluating the Kansas City Chiefs' roster for the 2026 season, the safety position is never a central point to the conversation. The level of investment via free agency or the draft in recent years has relegated the back end of the defense to an overlooked position overall, and the latest set of player rankings from ESPN only reinforce this idea.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN in the midst of releasing a series of anonymous rankings of various position groups after surveying executives, scouts, and coaches from around the NFL. Votes were tallied as to who the NFL's best players were at each spot on the roster, and Fowler's safety rankings are the latest list unveiled. The Chiefs are nowhere to be found.
Baltimore Ravens star Kyle Hamilton tops the list after doing so last year, and L.A. Chargers safety Derwin James is next on the list. The Chiefs don't even have a player in honorable mention outside the top 10, but a familiar face was at least there. The Chiefs lost Bryan Cook to the Cincinnati Bengals after his rookie contract expired, leaving them further depleted at a position that was already thin in 2025.
The Chiefs responded to Cook's departure by signing veteran Alohi Gilman, who will be familiar to Chiefs from his years in the AFC West with the Chargers. He brings experience to a group largely still working within the timeline of their first NFL contracts—something missing from last year's team when the Chiefs let Justin Reid leave for the New Orleans Saints in free agency without signing a new vet.
Gilman will be 29 years old in September, but still garnered a three-year deal from the Chiefs, which shows how much they believe in his ability to stay relevant into his thirties. Chamarri Conner will be a pivotal piece tasked with less responsibility in '26 after shouldering plenty of slot corner reps in '25. Jaden Hicks, a former fourth-round pick labeled a steal by many after he slid to K.C., is now in his third season and is at a make-or-break point overall. He'll be given every opportunity to serve as an oft-used third safety. Chris Roland-Wallace will also play a factor here.
Overall, the Chiefs might have one of the league's worst overall group of safeties, but that statement should come with a caveat. Having an elite game-changing safety isn't a guarantee of success, and the lack of one also doesn't mean the Chiefs won't rebound from a six-win effort. The Chiefs are obviously comfortable with the overall talent group in house and they're hoping the committee approach will lead them back to the postseason after a year away.
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