The Kansas City Chiefs will have numerous roster holes to address this upcoming offseason. There will be a mix of major positions of need and minor spots worth tweaking. One spot that Kansas City will need more bodies at is safety.
Bryan Cook will be a free agent, and for some people, he is listed as one of the best safeties available. He is expected to land quite a bit of money per season on his next deal. Jaden Hicks continues to be a mystery on the roster when it comes to overall usage and playing time. Chamarri Conner has significant limitations. Overall, it may be time to add more outside options to the safety room.
Those reinforcements could come in the draft this April. But beforehand, the Chiefs will have time to sign a free agent safety if they so choose. Given how much Cook is projected to land on the open market, several cheaper options make more sense for Kansas City. Their salary cap space can only warrant so many expensive moves anyway.
Here are three of those safeties that could very well make for solid fits for the Chiefs’ defense.
Jaylinn Hawkins
After three-and-a-half years with the Atlanta Falcons and half of a season with the Los Angeles Chargers, Jaylinn Hawkins joined the New England Patriots. Since coming to New England, he has played some of the best football of his career. That was especially true this season, as he and the Patriots get set to play in Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks.
Hawkins broke out in 2025 as a player who proved he could handle a multitude of duties and situations. The Patriots saw him provide stellar results in pass coverage, grading as the seventh-best safety in that category via Pro Football Focus. He was also productive in run support and occasionally shined as a pass rusher.
He offers immense versatility. Outside of his 640 snaps at free safety, Hawkins logged 249 snaps in the box, 113 snaps in the slot, and 26 snaps near the line of scrimmage in 2025. Kansas City would love to have that versatility within a Steve Spagnuolo defense. Hawkins can wear many hats and could truly impact all three downs at a non-premium position. Spotrac projects him to earn just over $8 million per season on his next contract.
Alohi Gilman
Alohi Gilman was surprisingly traded this year from the Los Angeles Chargers to the Baltimore Ravens. Pass rusher Odafe Oweh was sent the other way to the Bolts in the transaction. Both teams were taking fliers on pending free agents. In a rare player-for-player swap in this league, you could argue the deal paid off for both sides.
Gilman saw a bounce-back in his coverage results after a mediocre 2024. With the Ravens, Gilman was trusted to battle against larger pass catchers and run in space against tight ends and running backs. He was still productive against wide receivers, but with 314 of his snaps coming in the box in 2025, Gilman proved he can win with athleticism and range.
That is music to the ears of Chiefs fans who saw the Kansas City defense look slow and out of position far too often in 2025. If they were to bring in someone like Gilman, it seems like a unique player-scheme fit that Spagnuolo could be very creative with in the back seven. Spotrac projects that he will earn between $4 million and $5 million per season on his upcoming free agent deal.
Nick Cross
Whereas Hawkins and Gilman found consistency and production in 2025, this free agent target is looking for a rebound year in 2026. Nick Cross was still passable as a run defender with the Indianapolis Colts this past season. However, Pro Football Focus handed him his worst career pass coverage grade in 2025 (50.4).
That is a bit surprising, given that he was playing in a defense coached by Lou Anarumo. In the end, the Colts were not as reliable as the season wore on along the back end. Cross is still a young player, however. It is more believable that he can regain steady play against the pass going into his age-25 season.
The Chiefs have never been afraid to take chances on defensive backs in need of new scenery. If they believe Cross can get back to what he was in 2023 and 2024 for Indianapolis, he is a safe enough bet with very little risk attached. Spotrac predicts that his next free agent deal will fall in the range of $6 million per season.