Some of the biggest questions surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs late in the '25 season have to do with personnel. Specifically, why aren't the Chiefs leaning on some players? Why are others getting playing time that seems disproportional with their talent or skill set?
The biggest questions have come with free-agent acquisitions that never got a chance once the regular season got underway. For example, the Chiefs paid $20 million for the right to employ cornerback Kristian Fulton, only to leave him as a healthy scratch on the vast majority of game days. Elijah Mitchell was signed to compete at running back, and even in the face of a clear need, Mitchell remains inactive as well.
One other spot on the roster generating similar questions is at safety, where Jaden Hicks was expected to play a lot more. The second-year safety was a popular pick as a breakout candidate on the Chiefs' defense after watching veteran Justin Reid leave in free agency for the New Orleans Saints. Instead of bringing in another experienced leader, the Chiefs went forward with a younger safety room in the hopes of saving money and developing new talent.
The Chiefs are now 6-7 on the year, and while issues in the secondary aren't the primary reason why the team is nearly out of reach of the playoff picture, they aren't helping matters. Most of the Chiefs' losses have come down to one or two mistakes, and in some moments, Reid's absence has been felt more than expected.
Steve Spagnuolo addressed the reason why Jaden Hicks isn't getting as much playing time as most Kansas City Chiefs fans expected.
Yet instead of giving Hicks every chance to grow with playing time, the Chiefs have handed out those snaps to others. Veteran Mike Edwards played more than 50 percent of all snaps in the team's most recent loss to the Houston Texans in Week 14. Hicks continues to play minimal snaps in many games, and he's even earning less playing time in the season's second half—not a trendn anyone anticipated coming into 2025.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo talked to the media on Thursday and was asked about Hicks' status with the team. Spagnuolo gave some perspective on why Hicks hasn't been fully trusted with a starting role.
"I think if you asked Jaden, he’d tell you he’s kinda had an up and down season, but there’s been flashes of good football played there. We’re gonna need him now. We get down the stretch here. Mike Edwards is a crafty vet who’s filled in there…
"Jaden, listen, I’ve brought him in a couple of times. He’s made some mistakes that I wouldn’t have thought he would have made in his second season, but I like the way he gets himself ready for games and hopefully we get some good play out of him."
Some of that makes sense, but in the face of Edwards' clear athletic limitations, as well as the back injury to Christian Roland-Wallace, it doesn't make sense to bench Hicks as much as the Chiefs have. The ceiling there is too high to ground him for the occasional mistake or mental lapse. Together with Bryan Cook and Chamarri Conner, K.C. needs to lean on Hicks as part of a primary trio of safeties in the secondary.
While Hicks has plenty of time to blossom with two years left on his rookie deal, it's hard to imagine the Chiefs leave any real room for those sorts of expectations in 2026 and beyond. Hicks is going to have to fight for whatever chances he gets from here on out, but expect K.C. to make an investment or two to reshape the picture at safety after going without a clear veteran leader for the first time in years.