Even a 3-0 team is not without weaknesses. The Kansas City Chiefs are off to a hot start this season and seem to have recovered the contender status that they strayed from last year, but they have a glaring need at the safety position.
Kansas City is currently relying on Alohi Gilman, Jaden Hicks, and Chamarri Conner (who is recovering from an injury) to hold down the safety room. It's one of the weaker position groups on the roster, even when fully healthy.
Genesis Smith could have been the answer to the problem. He was available when the Chiefs were on the clock in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Instead, Kansas City went with a different secondary player, nickel defender Jadon Canady, who has played one defensive snap this season.
Smith fell to the Los Angeles Chargers later in the same round. The Chargers have been a disaster this season, but the rookie has been one of their few bright spots. After his Week 3 performance, the Chiefs should regret passing on him.
Chargers' Genesis Smith should have been the Chiefs' answer to their safety need
The Chargers lost to the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, but Smith nearly turned the game around on his own. He intercepted Josh Allen twice, once from a "robber" look in the middle of the field, and once on a deep shot to DJ Moore.
He has been a ball hawk for the Chargers and is already pushing for a starting spot. He's had his ups and downs, as most rookies do, but his Week 3 performance showed everything that the Chargers hoped to get out of him.
The Chiefs could sure use a player like Smith at the moment. Gilman and Hicks haven't been able to come off the field all season because of Kansas City's lack of depth at the position. Neither player has looked particularly impressive through three weeks.
Conner's return will help ease the pressure on Gilman and Hicks, but a team with Super Bowl aspirations could use another reliable performer—at least one with a higher floor than a rookie free agent like Xavier Nwankpa.
It's far too early to call the Canady pick itself a mistake. Most fourth-round rookies don't contribute immediately. But deep safety was a more glaring need at the time, and it still is. The fact that the Chiefs failed to address that need at all in the draft is a clear mistake.
Smith could have been the rotational piece to complete Kansas City's safety room. Instead, they're stuck hoping that their already limited group of safeties can last throughout the season without being the root cause of the team's shortcomings.
It's a gamble that the Chiefs never should have had to make.
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