The Kansas City Chiefs would always rather be overprepared than underprepared, and that was the exact approach they took in rebuilding the secondary throughout the offseason.
For example, despite news that veteran nickel corner Kader Kohou was signing in free agency, the Chiefs drafted another nickel specialist in Jadon Canady in round four of the NFL draft. Not to mention they already had nickel options in Kevin Knowles and Christian Roland-Wallace on the roster, plus hybrid safeties like Chamarri Conner and Jaden Hicks who have been known to play in the slot at times.
Add veteran former slot specialist L’Jarius Sneed and veteran cornerback Kaiir Elam to the mix, and you have what could be a very crowded training camp competition for the Chiefs this summer.
With all that in mind, an early signing like Kohou may not be guaranteed a roster spot, according to KC insiders Matt Derrick (Chiefs Digest) and Nick Jacobs (KSHB 41).
Chiefs Reporter Says It Could Be a ‘Struggle’ for Kader Kohou to Survive Roster Cuts
During the July 5 episode of the “41 is the Mic” podcast, hosted by Derrick and Jacobs, the former explained why Kohou’s 2026 contract may not last into September.
“They addressed this position twice with Kader Kohou, the free agent signing, in addition to Canady,” Derrick noted on the podcast. “They also have Chris Roland-Wallace in the safety group that fits in there, too.”
“Here’s the thing: if Canady performs early on the way that I think the Chiefs believe that he can and think that he will, I think it’s going to be a struggle for Kader Kohou to make this roster,” the longtime KC beat reporter continued. “The rookie is going to have an advantage here because he looks like he’s going to be a heck of a special teams player. He’s got all the skills to do that, and they talked from the beginning, the scouts when they selected him, saying this is a four-phase guy. [Special teams coordinator] Dave Toub is going to love him. And I think that’s the case.”
Derrick went on to add that Kohou has only logged 44 special teams snaps his entire career, fueling the theory that the veteran signing is not long for this Kansas City roster.
“I think there’s room for Canady and Chris Roland-Wallace to find the field,” Derrick concluded, leaving out Kohou entirely. “How well they perform… we’ll see what happens there.”
Chiefs Training Camp Could Confirm Likely Chamarri Conner News
GettyKansas City Chiefs defensive back Chamarri Conner may have more of a defined role in 2026.
Within this segment of their podcast, Derrick also revealed that Conner is expected to play strong safety in 2026.
The former draft pick has been moved around by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo a lot since entering the league, but his versatility hasn’t always translated in certain positions. Perhaps the Conner chess piece experiment will finally end this season.
“As much as Steve Spagnuolo defended Chamarri Conner and has championed him and continued to put him out there [at nickel], even though there were times that he struggled in that slot position, you’re seeing some reactions [from the front office] this year that, one, it certainly looks like Chamarri Conner is going to be the strong safety on this team and not be the primary slot guy… and then they also addressed this position twice.”
That’s when the conversation shifted back to Kohou above, but Derrick has a point.
The Chiefs’ actions have hinted that Conner will spend the majority of his time at safety in 2026. That is likely a wise decision, and training camp should confirm Kansas City’s plans as media and fans get a closer look at the starting alignment.
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