The Kansas City Chiefs took a risk on a cornerback that has the talent but hasn't panned out completely and didn't address wide receiver.
The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t have the type of season the organization has grown fond of over the last decade, going 6-11 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a significant knee injury in Week 15, the same week the team was eliminated from playoff contention, and it was the icing on the cake for what was a disastrous season.
Changes needed to be made, but the changes probably weren’t what fans expected. The Chiefs traded its best cornerback, All-Pro Trent McDuffie, to the Los Angeles Rams and also lost cornerback Jaylen Watson to the Rams via free agency.
The secondary was the best part of Kansas City’s defense, but even that group didn’t play as well as it can, and the Chiefs were able to land a lot of draft capital in exchange for McDuffie. The Chiefs acquired a 2026 first-round pick (No. 29), 2026 fifth-round pick (No. 169) 2026 sixth-round pick (No. 210) and a 2027 third-rounder for McDuffie’s services.
To replace them, the Chiefs drafted LSU CB Mansoor Delane with the sixth-overall pick and signed project CB Kader Kohou in free agency, the best offseason move according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell.
Barnwell explained that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is notorious for getting the most out of his players, even guys that have struggled prior to joining the organization. The Chiefs are taking a risk on Kohou, who fits that bill.
“An undrafted free agent, Kohou made the Dolphins' roster in 2022 and excelled as a rookie, posting an 83.2 passer rating in coverage,” Barnwell wrote Thursday. “He looked like a building block in the making, but Kohou struggled badly in 2023 under Vic Fangio and lost his every-down role.”
After seemingly finding his rhythm towards the end of 2024, a torn ACL in training camp took him out all of 2025 and he’s now looking for a fresh start with Kansas City.
His biggest issue on the field is tackling, which was a problem for the Chiefs defense last season, so it will be interesting to see how he does with Spagnuolo guiding him.
Kansas City’s worst move of the offseason was not addressing the wide receiver room, especially since WR Rashee Rice is in jail for violating his probation while needing to rehab a knee surgery.
“Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster are gone, but the only addition the Chiefs made at wideout or tight end this offseason is fifth-round pick Cyrus Allen,” wrote Barnwell. “Kenneth Walker III should play some role in the passing game as the team's new lead halfback, of course, but there are no substantial additions at receiver.”
If/when Rice is on the field, he’s a great player, and so is WR Xavier Worthy. Both have battled injuries, however, and tight end Travis Kelce took a step back last season while being on his way out soon.
The Chiefs will likely bounce back offensively this year, but its receivers were near the top of the league in drops, and they need to be much better this season.
