The Chiefs' Weakened Secondary Matters More Than Ever

The Kansas City Chiefs lost some key pieces in their secondary to free agency. Why does that matter even more now?

Nov 23, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson (35) takes the field against the Indianapolis Colts for warm ups prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs' free agency has been a tale of two halves. After losing key pieces in their secondary, it looked like this team was bound for even more regression than they had experienced in 2025.

However, after retaining Travis Kelce and signing Kenneth Walker III, things started to look up for them. Losing Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson was always going to hurt, but at least the trade compensation from the Los Angeles Rams gave them a brighter outlook. What recent developments put a damper on that light?

More Stars to Contend With

Breaking: The Dolphins are trading WR Jaylen Waddle and a 2026 4th-round pick to the Broncos, sources told @AdamSchefter.

Denver will send this year's 1st-round pick as well as its late 3rd and 4th-round picks to Miami. pic.twitter.com/2hFlTQ5Csb

— ESPN (@espn) March 17, 2026

The Denver Broncos traded for Jaylen Waddle, which pushes their wide receiver room to the top of the AFC West. The Chiefs' receiving room rivals theirs, but outside of that, no other team in their division has a receiver as dynamic as Waddle.

The Broncos should be the Chiefs' fiercest competitors next season, as they're the team that stepped up and claimed the division as theirs after the Chiefs let their decade-long stranglehold go. The Chiefs' weakened secondary now looks a lot worse with this development.

Oct 12, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Nohl Williams (20) defends during the first half against the Detroit Lions at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

A silver lining for the Chiefs is that the other teams in their division aren't packing a lot of heat in the receiving department. The Las Vegas Raiders have Brock Bowers, but even with their efforts to improve their receiving room this offseason, Jalen Nailor and Tre Tucker shouldn't strike fear in their secondary.

The same goes with the Los Angeles Chargers. Their biggest strength is running the ball, and as shifty as Ladd McConkey is, I don't think he's anything the Chiefs' secondary can't handle. If Quentin Johnston gets it together, he could be a problem, but that's a big if. Another good sign for their secondary is that they didn't leave it out to dry completely.

Oct 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Alohi Gilman (12) and Ravens defensive tackle CJ Okoye (91) pose for a picture with injured Chicago Bears linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga (M) after their game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Alohi Gilman has plenty of familiarity in their division, and Kader Kohou is an ascending young corner. They'll also have Nohl Williams in his second year, and he's coming off a promising rookie season. Steve Spagnuolo's defensive playcalling will be put to the test next season, with a secondary that's lacking star power.

Waddle adds another layer of explosiveness to the Broncos' offense, an offense that's shown to consistently give the Chiefs problems. I don't think the Chiefs will regret trading away McDuffie. That first-round pick carries a lot of value, but they'd better hope their secondary gets fixed quickly because the AFC West just got a new star, and he's here to stay.