Kevin Knowles is slightly more important than the Kansas City Chiefs likely projected he would be going into the team's final game of the year. Then again, nothing turned out as predicted for the Chiefs this season.
With only an uninspired visit to Las Vegas to face the Raiders in Week 18 ahead of K.C. before heading home for the offseason, the personnel shift for the Chiefs is expected to bring out plenty more young players in this final tilt than in previous games. That likely includes giving Kevin Knowles plenty more snaps in the secondary.
Knowles joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent after going unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft. It's clear the Chiefs were enamored with the former Florida State defensive back, given the amount of guaranteed money given to him ($220K), but it felt as if other rookie FAs drew the majority of offseason hype on such a crowded roster.
Then came the preseason, which is where Knowles really came alive. His strong special teams instincts drew effusive praise from Chiefs assistant head coach Dave Toub, and he quickly climbed the depth chart above other players with more experience or offseason hype.
Kevin Knowles’ late-season audition has quietly become a meaningful piece of the team’s evolving secondary picture.
Coming into the regular season, the Chiefs kept Knowles on the practice squad and elevated him multiple times early in the season. By late October, the Chiefs made the move permanent by replacing defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott's spot on the active roster—he was placed on injured reserve—with Knowles.
The shift to bring Knowles up wasn't just about the number of allowed promotions. Teams were also reportedly circling for cornerback help before the NFL's trade deadline, and the move allowed the Chiefs to protect their investment from any vultures looking to poach some young talent.
Knowles has played in 12 of the Chiefs 17 regular-season games to this point, with most of his playing time on special teams. However, he's started to get some more reps on defense with other cornerbacks out, and with the youth movement expected on Sunday in Las Vegas, Knowles could serve as the primary nickel corner (or at least play plenty of snaps there).
A more robust evaluation of Knowles' pro potential feels like an underrated piece of the Chiefs' defensive puzzle going forward. There are major decisions to make about Trent McDuffie's future, which will get much more expensive, and Jaylen Watson's pending free agency. Kristian Fulton is also a cut candidate unless he's played his way back into the picture. Beyond Nohl Williams and Christian Roland-Wallace, there are only developmental players in view, which means Knowles' ceiling is a bit more important than most fans are realizing.
No one should expect fireworks in any late-season audition for Knowles. However, if he can prove to be a valuable rotational player inside, that would go a long way toward rounding out a young secondary that's set to undergo some renovations. The Chiefs have been right about Knowles all along, but maybe they didn't even know just how good he could be.