The Kansas City Chiefs saw a few defensive backs leave earlier this offseason. Two new names joined their secondary in the 2026 NFL Draft. It was already going to be fascinating to see how the playing time shook out in K.C.'s defensive back room. But with the specific players they selected in the draft, allocating those snaps just became even more perplexing.
Mansoor Delane was not as connected to the Chiefs as other draft prospects were. Their love for him was pretty clear after the selection, however. Meanwhile, the later choice to add Jadon Canady places a different type of player build into the group than what defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo generally chases.
Chances are there for younger pieces to assume most of the snap shares. At the same time, there is pressure on others in what is becoming a make-or-break campaign individually.
Chiefs secondary suddenly has more questions than answers
Free-agent signee Alohi Gilman will be a new starter for the Chiefs at safety. It is reasonable to guess that Delane immediately gets set as one of the starting outside cornerbacks. The trade up to get him and his status as a top-10 pick should lead to Delane getting one of those nods.
As for the remaining portion of the starting secondary, Chamarri Conner enters training camp entrenched as a starting safety. He has certainly had his share of ups and downs over the last two seasons. As a result, Conner arguably faces the greatest pressure among the current starters.
Nohl Williams at outside cornerback and Kader Kohou at nickel are the other two listed as starters. Williams displayed excellent poise and reaction quickness as a man-coverage corner last season in his rookie campaign. The flashes Williams showed have to be one of the more exciting morsels from Kansas City's down year last season.
Kohou was more impressive during his early days with the Miami Dolphins. Coming to Kansas City after a major injury creates an intriguing project to insert into the Chiefs' defense. How firm a grasp Kohou holds on a starting spot is still to be determined.
The Chiefs draft class put pressure on multiple veterans
There are multiple players whose playing time appeared to be affected by the defensive back draft selections. Arguably, none were impacted more than Kristian Fulton. Most would expect Delane to take the role Fulton lightly held between free agency and the draft. Following such an unlucky set of circumstances for Fulton last season, projecting his 2026 chances is truly anyone's guess.
Two former undrafted free agents are others who may have seen their chances dwindle. Spagnuolo has been able to develop Chris Roland-Wallace into a solid, versatile piece. But with spotty opportunities for him already, does Roland-Wallace see even fewer snaps with names like Canady and Gilman entering the fold?
Another former UDFA who was on the active roster last year was Kevin Knowles. It is easy to imagine a more challenging path for him to maintain that status after all the new faces joined the secondary.
Last, but not least, is the confusing case of Jaden Hicks. Hicks also came to the Chiefs with some movable tendencies. He had a stretch of good play to end 2024. But in 2025, Hicks struggled to get on the field. He had an intriguing chance to grow into a starter. Is that attainable for him at this stage? Or has that opportunity truly passed Hicks by?
Training camp battles in the secondary could get intense
The mix of battles for starting snaps and perhaps final chances for certain names leads to an exciting level of intrigue at training camp for the secondary. Once the Chiefs get to that part of the calendar, daily updates on this group will keep fans on pins and needles.
Portions of training camp results can be deceiving. And at a position that faces as much difficulty as any, the secondary is met with new levels of optimism. Roster changes, last year's defensive disappointments, and expectations for young pieces have now created more tension to get defensive back right. The Chiefs can only be helped by the logjam in this part of the roster.
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