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Here are the Chiefs’ three weakest positions entering the 2026 NFL offseason | The Kansas City Star
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.
And that indomitable mindset we’ve seen play out over and over in Mahomes is both reassuring and the crux of any concern about his ambition to be on the field — “with no restrictions,” as he put it — to start the season.
Because there’s an emotional challenge between the urgency of returning vs. his long-term health, between being diligent and over-extending himself — as he could be apt to do, being the voracious competitor he is.
As he spoke about following the directions and protocols from surgeon Daniel Cooper through rehabilitation largely with Chiefs VP of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder, assistant athletic trainer Julie Frymyer and longtime personal trainer Bobby Stroupe, Mahomes used terms such as “they hold me back, because I always want to go a little further” and “as much as they’ll let me.”
When at his best in 2025, Mahomes didn’t hesitate. He had the quickest average time to throw of his career per Next Gen Stats (2.79 seconds), and many of his best performances lined up directly with the games he held onto it the shortest.
It was especially noticeable early. According to Pro Football Focus’ data, Mahomes passed to his first read on 83 percent, 79 percent, 83 percent and 82 percent of his throws in his first four games.
Over the rest of the season — his final 11 weeks — Mahomes surpassed 71 percent on his first-read throw percentage in just three other games.
Part of getting back to fast-fire offense, though, will be what Mahomes referenced earlier. Can the offense add more unpredictability and break tendencies enough to keep defenses guessing? And can the Chiefs find more answers against man coverage, which they struggled to shake this season?
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Around the NFL
The AP NFL MVP finalists are Allen, Lawrence, Maye, McCaffrey and Stafford | Associated Press
Allen, the reigning MVP, threw for 3,668 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, posting a 102.2 passer rating while leading Buffalo to its seventh straight playoff appearance. He also ran for 14 TDs. The Bills were knocked out of the playoffs by Denver in the divisional round and fired coach Sean McDermott.
Lawrence helped Jacksonville win 13 games and the AFC South title. He had 4,007 yards passing, 29 TDs and 12 picks. The Jaguars were eliminated by the Bills in the wild-card round.
McCaffrey, an All-Purpose All-Pro, ran for 1,202 yards and 10 TDs and caught 102 passes for 924 yards and seven TDs. He played a key role in helping the injury-depleted San Francisco 49ers win 12 games. He’s a finalist for three awards this year, a feat last accomplished by Joe Burrow.
Ravens hire Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter as head coach | The Athletic
Minter, 42, was immediately viewed as one of the favorites for the position, given the organization’s familiarity with him and his impressive two-year run as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh.
Minter was an assistant under John Harbaugh in Baltimore from 2017 to 2020, serving the final year as the Ravens’ defensive backs coach. He was a college defensive coordinator at Indiana State, Georgia State, Vanderbilt and Michigan, and he was part of the Wolverines’ national championship-winning staff during the 2023 season. He then followed Jim Harbaugh to the NFL, where he became one of the league’s fastest-rising assistants.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs’ decision on Trent McDuffie this offseason won’t be simple
The Case for Trading McDuffie
The counterargument begins with the same market realities. Cornerbacks are now being paid like elite receivers, and not all elite corners are valued equally. McDuffie is not a prototype boundary defender with rare size and length, and offenses have increasingly tested him with bigger receivers in contested situations.
In 2025, the results were mixed. McDuffie allowed more touchdowns and a higher passer rating in coverage than in his All-Pro seasons. While his overall tape remained strong, the efficiency dip provides leverage for teams hesitant to pay top-of-market money. It also justifies the Chiefs exploring alternatives.
Financially, the appeal of a trade is straightforward. Moving McDuffie would clear his entire $13.6 million cap hit from the 2026 books, a meaningful figure for a team that is routinely forced to maximize every dollar. That flexibility could be redirected toward the pass rush, offensive depth, or future extensions — all positions that tend to rise in cost.
