Here are the Chiefs’ three weakest positions entering the 2026 NFL offseason
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs must prioritize safety depth and leadership if Bryan Cook departs.
- Receiver corps thins without Brown, Smith-Schuster and Thornton; depth falls.
- Running back room needs a lead back; consider veteran signing and midround pick.
As the NFL playoffs wrap up with the final three matchups of the 2025 season, the Kansas City Chiefs have been in their offseason for about three weeks.
It’s a strange feeling — and if head coach Andy Reid intends to keep it that way (as he’s said), the responsibility now shifts to general manager Brett Veach and the personnel staff to improve the roster.
So where should they start?
For this exercise, I’ve stripped from the depth chart the two dozen or so players due to become unrestricted free agents in mid-March. As an example, that would make Brashard Smith Kansas City’s starting running back, which is exactly why the position makes the list.
To clarify, just because a position — like a pass rusher — didn’t make my top three does not mean the Chiefs wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) take one at No. 9 in the NFL Draft. Whatever the position, the pick will have to carry blue-chip upside in Kansas City’s eyes. A rarity, period.
Also, just because current Chiefs are extracted from this exercise doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t be back. Kansas City signed several players, such as linebacker Nick Bolton and wide receiver Hollywood Brown, before they hit the open market last offseason.
For now, we’re working with what we have. Let’s start with my honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions: 7) Linebacker, 6) Defensive end, 5) Wide receiver, 4) Defensive tackle
LB: At linebacker, Spagnuolo will miss Leo Chenal and his versatility, but Kansas City may not have the cap room to retain a player who’s on the field for about half the snaps. Base linebackers Bolton and Drue Tranquill are under contract for 2026, and the Chiefs will have to find an answer at SAM. DE: You can never have enough pass rushers, and few would be disappointed if Miami edge Reuben Bain Jr. ended up in Kansas City, even with shorter arms than Spagnuolo usually covets. While the Chiefs could no doubt use more juice at the position, they have an above-average starter in George Karlaftis, a capable one in Mike Danna and a high ceiling in Ashton Gillotte if they had to play tomorrow.
WR: When you remove Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton, the receiver room suddenly looks alarmingly thin. The group starts with Rashee Rice and continues with Xavier Worthy before a sharp dropoff to Jalen Royals, who never carved out a real role in 2025. Nikko Remigio is an exclusive-rights free agent. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Rice faces more league discipline.
DT: Similar to receiver, the top of the defensive tackles group is fine with Chris Jones, but he’ll be 32 when the season begins. Next up is Omarr Norman-Lott before you get to Zacch Pickens. Derrick Nnadi, Mike Pennel and Jerry Tillery are all free agents. Norman-Lott showed early promise, but he’ll be coming off the torn ACL he suffered in October.
3) Tight end
Wednesday’s comments from Travis Kelce made some think he could be returning for a 14th NFL season. And if that’s the case, it’s hard to imagine it happening anywhere other than Kansas City. Still, the fact remains that Kelce is a free agent, and so the Chiefs’ tight end corps begins with Noah Gray, continuing with Jared Wiley and Jake Briningstool. Kelce’s production may have tapered off, but he’s never recorded fewer than 800 receiving yards during a healthy season. If he does retire, where does that production come from?
And even if there is one last dance, Kansas City needs to be thinking about life after him. At this stage, No. 9 feels too high for someone like Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq. Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts and Baltimore’s Isaiah Likely are out there but could prove too rich for the Chiefs at this juncture.
2) Running back
Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt are due for free agency, which is music to the ears of many Chiefs fans.
The run game may be improved with a refreshed offensive scheme, but a young, explosive back would obviously be another welcome addition. Smith showed some capability as a rookie, but it would be a stretch to go with him as a lead back in his second season.
Despite some fans’ obsession with seeing Jeremiyah Love in red and gold, the cost in draft capital seems too high, given other pressing needs. The Chiefs could sign a veteran and use the draft’s middle rounds to add another back. Seattle’s Kenneth Walker seemed like he could be the perfect fit before Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in the playoffs. Other names set to hit the open market are New York’s Breece Hall (a Wichita native), Dallas’ Javonte Williams and Atlanta’s Tyler Allgeier, among others.
Whatever the choice, he’ll be under the guidance of running backs guru and old-but-new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who most recently coached Chicago to 144.5 rushing yards per game (third in the NFL).
1) Safety
Over the last decade or so, the Chiefs have kept the “safety train” moving, going from names like Tyrann Mathieu to Juan Thornhill to Justin Reid and now Bryan Cook. When one player moves along, the next tandem up seems ready and capable.
But this doesn’t feel like a back-end build that’s ready to move on without Cook.
Spagnuolo is known for designing a complex defense with rules and assignments that help disguise looks and confuse the opposing quarterback. In doing so, he asks his safeties to do a lot, and he trusts them to adjust depending on what they see.
Right or wrong, Spagnuolo likes Conner, who actually edged out Bolton for the team lead in defensive snaps. Conner plays everywhere, from the box to the nickel to dropping back as a free safety. When he was on the field in a limited role, Hicks was mostly used in the box.
In mid-December, when asked about Hicks’ growth, Cook cited “maturity.”
“A lot of guys come from different places and different walks of life,” Cook said of his teammate. “As a rookie, you’re just trying to figure everything out. I feel like now, he’s embodied into what we have built here from our rookie year.
“That’s the kind of thing we try to keep doing: camaraderie, especially as a defensive back. It’s definitely big and because when balls are flying, a lot goes on the defensive side as far as making sure everybody has the right checks and the right position. But for him, I’m proud of him (and) happy he’s moving forward. He’s had some struggles, but at the end of the day I feel like they’re a learning path for him. And just seeing how he’s handled it, it gives me a lot of happiness for him.”
If Cook walks, Kansas City’s most glaring need might just be a talented player at safety — and perhaps two if Veach intends to restart his youthful “safety train.” Also, recalling Cook’s words, they’ll need to replace a leader back there, too.
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 10:50 AM.
