After Last Year's Workhorse Season, Chamarri Conner's 2026 Could Look Very Different

Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Chamarri Conner led the team in defensive snaps taken during the 2025 season, staying on the field for 98% of KC's defensive reps. Still, Conner has not yet become one of the faces of Steve Spagnuolo's defense.

What does that mean for Conner's ranking among the top 25 Chiefs ahead of the 2026 season?

After a fascinating offseason in the Chiefs' secondary, Conner is poised to have a significant workload again this year, and he lands at No. 18 in our ranking.

Why Chamarri Conner Is So Important

Conner's raw usage stats paint a convincing picture. Spagnuolo put Conner on the field for more snaps than any other member of the Chiefs defense, thanks to a combination of Conner's health and versatility.

Still, his role may actually be even more important in 2026.

Safety Bryan Cook departed Kansas City as a free agent this offseason, leaving Conner and third-year safety Jaden Hicks as the primary returning names this season. While the team also added Alohi Gilman in free agency, that appears to say more about Hicks' standing than Conner's.

For a better guess at Conner's specific role in '26, look to what went poorly for Conner last season.

Conner's Strengths and Weaknesses

Conner has shown solid overall safety ability and an unquestioned willingness to hit as a run defender — generally a non-negotiable in Spagnuolo's defense. Unfortunately, Conner's most glaring weakness was consistently obvious last season.

Even with now-departed cornerback Trent McDuffie on last year's squad, Conner was frequently asked to be the Chiefs' slot defender, which left him susceptible to bad matchups with slot receivers who he could not wrangle in man coverage.

Some of those exposed weaknesses fall to the coaching staff; Conner's slot struggles were a point of discussion on Only Weird Games before the 2025 season even began.

Perhaps in response to last year's weakness and while planning for a post-McDuffie world, the Chiefs signed veteran cornerback Kader Kohou, drafted Oregon DB Jadon Canady, reunited with L'Jarius Sneed and retained Chris Roland Wallace — all players who can set up in the slot, allowing Conner to play a more traditional safety role once again.

What Happens If Conner Gets Hurt?

Despite all of the new slot defender candidates, the Chiefs remain thin at safety.

Conner and Gilman project as KC's clear-cut starting duo, while Hicks and Roland-Wallace are set to compete for Spagnuolo's highly used third safety role.

Hicks had a bit of a disappointing sophomore season in '25 after flashing promising ability as a rookie. Roland-Wallace is also entering his third year after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2024. Hicks and Roland-Wallace have appeared in 37 and 31 games with the Chiefs, respectively, but their starting ability remains unknown.

Why We Ranked Conner Here

"Starting slot cornerback Chamarri Conner" wouldn't have made our top 25, and Jordan Foote and I had a bit of disagreement on where Conner should land in this exercise. (Foote and I independently ranked our own top 25 and came up with very similar results, but Conner was our largest disagreement!)

Ultimately, the logic behind Conner returning to his natural position in a contract year was enough to earn a spot in KC's top 20, but the feisty defender does have plenty to prove before he hits free agency in 2027.

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