The Kansas City Chiefs are used to undergoing change in their secondary. It is an item they knew would turn into a learning process early this season. And to this point, the overall play of the Chiefs' secondary has been volatile.
The outside cornerbacks, Mansoor Delane and Nohl Williams, have routinely been impressive. On the other hand, there have been incomplete performances from other Kansas City defensive backs. Based on the number of snaps certain names are getting, it may be time to change some roles. Quietly, Chris Roland-Wallace continues to be reliable. It is surprising to see how low his snap counts remain.
Other veterans producing average results with more snaps
Roland-Wallace has played only 25.8 percent of Kansas City's defensive snaps so far this season, according to Pro Football Reference. That is good enough for just 106 snaps. He played 31 of a possible 69 defensive plays Sunday night in Seattle.
Compared to the steady play of Roland-Wallace when he is out there, other veterans are often getting burned by opposing skill players. And they remain ahead of him on the depth chart.
L'Jarius Sneed is playing 62.9 percent of the Chiefs' defensive snaps, tallying 258 snaps so far. He did see a limited number of opportunities against the Seahawks after a rough start Sunday night. Sneed came out strong against the Denver Broncos with some plays on the football and tackles in space. But the last month or so has exposed the wear and tear that Sneed has endured the last few years.
Even Jaden Hicks has played 68.5 percent of the defensive snaps. It always feels like he still gets sheltered on the defense with his usage. Yet Hicks has still played 281 snaps in 2026, 175 more than Roland-Wallace.
Finally, Chamarri Conner has played 48.78 percent of the defensive snaps. He is already up to 200 despite missing time early on with an injury. Conner has not moved the needle much since the start of last season. It feels like Roland-Wallace could replace him without much of a drop-off.
Why playing Roland-Wallace more elevates Chiefs' defense
For starters, Roland-Wallace matches what the Chiefs get from Delane and Williams as a tackler. His sure play in that area does not get talked about enough when he is out there. But Roland-Wallace's technique and routine wrap-up ability prevent opponents from adding many yards after the catch or after contact. Roland-Wallace still had a few key stops against Seattle. Not many other defenders can say they did the same against the Seahawks.
He obviously brings versatility to this defense. Roland-Wallace is not just limited to deep safety or split safety snaps. Overall, he is just as strong and confident near the line of scrimmage. Roland-Wallace has no issue matching up against bigger pass catchers in the slot. And even shiftier route runners are forced to battle with the physical side that Roland-Wallace brings to the table.
We also see that his ball production remains encouraging even with his restricted chances in playing time. That is a nice trait to have when a player like Roland-Wallace rarely misses tackles.
The coaching staff has long believed in Roland-Wallace and trusted him. But it is past due for him to get an uptick in opportunities. Here are a few reasons why it especially makes sense right now this season.
For one, shaky results and the up-and-down play of the other safeties leave one feeling itchy. It has been a while since Kansas City was not stout on that part of the roster. Roland-Wallace's play strengths also mirror the top traits of the starting outside cornerbacks. He, Delane, and Williams are easily the best three defensive backs at this current point of the Chiefs' season. On top of that, Roland-Wallace is more dynamic in space than any Chiefs defensive back not named Delane or Williams.
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