The Kansas City Chiefs added more veteran depth to their secondary, bringing back a player who missed the initial cut for the 53-man roster.
The Chiefs signed former Miami Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou as part of their offseason overhaul in the secondary, but the longtime NFL starter failed to make the final roster. The Chiefs were able to bring him back to the practice squad this week, giving some insurance to a youthful secondary.
Kader Kohou Fell Victim to Competition in the Secondary
Kohou had fallen down the depth chart ahead of Sunday’s roster deadline, and his release was not a surprise to many Chiefs insiders. The veteran cornerback entered the NFL with the Dolphins in 2022, appearing in 47 games with 38 starts during that time.
Kohou has been a productive cornerback, making 180 total tackles and three interceptions, though came into this offseason with some question marks after missing the 2025 season with a torn ACL.
Despite his release, Kohou was still seen as a coveted veteran. Before he returned to the Chiefs on their practice squad, Miami Herald reporter Omar Kelly suggested he could make a return to the Dolphins.
“The Chiefs released former Dolphins CB Kader Kohou,” Kelly wrote in a post on X. “While I don’t know what he looked like, how he played in Kansas City coming off an ACL, he is a veteran nickel CB and the Dolphins don’t have a backup nickel.”
Chiefs Made Big Additions to Secondary
The Chiefs made some sweeping changes to their secondary, trading Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams and watching fellow starter Jaylen Watson join him in free agency. The Chiefs replenished the position by trading up in the first round of the draft for Mansoor Delane.
SI.com reporter Jordan Foote suggested Delane will face some pressure in the regular season, especially after his training camp was abbreviated by injury.
“The next CB1 in town was always going to have the bar set high, but trading up in round one for a top-flight player at the position took the hype train to a new stratosphere,” Foote wrote. “Now past an offseason shoulder injury, it’s time for Delane to put the pedal to the metal in his debut campaign.”
Analyst Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus predicted before final cuts that Kohou would be fighting for a reserve spot at best.
“Kansas City appears to have its two primary starting corners set in Mansoor Delane and Nohl Williams, but the team has a logjam at cornerback depth in Kohou, Kristian Fulton, rookie Jadon Canady, L’Jarius Sneed and Kaiir Elam,” Locker wrote.
Chiefs Bring Back Veteran CB After Roster Deadline Release