Strengths at Safety Could Be Key to Chiefs' 2024 Defensive Success — KC Chiefs 2024 Positional Preview

The Chiefs have a loaded defensive backfield with Justin Reid, Bryan Cook and Chamarri Conner at the helm. Will Jaden Hicks play in his first season?

Oct 8, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid (20) salutes the fans after the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Capping off our Chiefs on SI positional previews on the defensive side of the football, the Kansas City Chiefs' safeties arrive last, but certainly not least. With stability from three returning major players on KC's 2023 squad and one rookie entering the fold, how will the Chiefs' safties fare in 2024?

Joshua Brisco: The Chiefs' safety group should be a strength of the defense in 2024, if not one of the best safety collections in the NFL. Justin Reid (who is quietly entering a contract year) should have another strong season as one of the leaders of the defense. Bryan Cook is returning after missing the last act of the regular season and the entire playoffs due to an ankle injury. Chamarri Conner, who is also in the slot cornerback conversation, played some great football in Cook's absence, even as a rookie. Now, with the addition of fourth-round pick Jaden Hicks, the group is in excellent hands under the tutelage of Steve Spagnuolo and Dave Merritt.
Does the safety group have an argument for KC's most stable and/or deepest position group, even after losing Mike Edwards in free agency?

Jordan Foote: It absolutely does. Assuming Cook resembles anything close to himself pre-injury, he should drop back in as a formidable No. 2 safety, and Reid is turning out to be a near-perfect fit in Spagnuolo's defense. Conner displayed rapid progression as a rookie, and Hicks is widely regarded as a steal in the fourth round of April's NFL Draft. If Deon Bush is your fifth-best player at a given position, you're doing an excellent job putting together the right group.
Does Cook being back and Hicks entering the fold potentially throw a wrench into the plans for Conner? We recently discussed his prospects as the go-to slot option, which would alleviate a possible logjam in the defensive backfield and get Hicks on the field. With that said, it also pigeonholes one of the team's more versatile players. We know what the Chiefs will get from Reid, and Cook is likely not too far behind. It's the third and fourth players on the depth chart who draw my attention.

Brisco: And what a luxury that is! You're right though, I'm conflicted about Conner in a way I should probably let go of. If Spagnuolo's goal is to have the five best defensive backs on the field (which should be the plan when you have as much talent and versatility as this DB room boasts), letting Conner spend some serious time in the slot would still be a net positive. (My hesitance is, in part, about how good Trent McDuffie is in the slot, but we discussed that more in our cornerback preview you mentioned.) If Reid or Cook miss time, it's not like Conner couldn't move back to a more traditional safety role if needed.
Even then, I've been optimistic but a bit cautious about rookie safeties under Spagnuolo in years past, and Cook and Conner both blew past even what I considered to be relatively high expectations. Fool me thrice, shame on me! I imagine Hicks will have a real role in 2024.

Foote: I have a feeling there will be plenty of front offices who ultimately regret passing on Hicks. Having split so much time between a traditional deep alignment, as a slot corner, or in the box, he's a violent downhill attacker who can also hold his own in coverage. He, like Conner, can give Spagnuolo some options as a rookie and not be stuck on the bench as long as he catches on with the playbook. The final safety job, if there's a fifth in the fold somewhere, figures to go to Bush thanks to his special teams background. Trey Dean is a nice insurance policy to have, but it would be a major surprise to see him make the team. Bush could end up on the practice squad, which would have nothing to do with him and everything to do with Kansas City's other safety talent.

Kansas City Chiefs 2024 positional previews

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