Newcomer Alohi Gilman Making Most of New Opportunity With Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs revamped their defense during the offseason, providing coordinator Steve Spagnuolo with multiple new pieces to work with both up front and in the secondary. One of the biggest names acquired over the past several months was safety Alohi Gilman, who has big shoes to fill following the departure of Bryan Cook.

With Cook now on the Cincinnati Bengals, it's Gilman's room to lead. It might be his secondary, as top cornerback Mansoor Delane is a rookie who has yet to shed his non-contact jersey.

Earlier this year, Gilman emphasized being a versatile piece capable of doing anything that's asked of him on the back end. With training camp off and running, how's that goal manifesting?

Speaking to the media following a recent camp practice, the seventh-year man said he's starting to feel settled in.

“Oh yeah, 100%," Gilman said. "I’m a lot more comfortable. I've still got a lot of work to grow and continue to learn here, but I feel much better, more comfortable in the system. A lot of that has to do with just the chemistry as well with the guys, and that’s coming along well. It’s been a good start.”

There's also a critical role Gilman is assuming that applies both on and off the field: leader. Set to turn 29 just days after the Chiefs' regular-season opener against the Denver Broncos, the former Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens standout is one of the elder statesmen on the K.C. defense. Among the noteworthy names in the secondary, only cornerback L'Jarius Sneed has him beat.

It's a young group, which includes Delane but also 2025 third-round pick Nohl Williams, rookie Jadon Canady, 26-year-old Chamarri Conner, 24-year-old Chris Roland-Wallace and 23-year-old Jaden Hicks. That naturally comes with a learning curve, which Gilman had to adjust to himself at the beginning.

In the first stint with the team, Gilman said he spent plenty of time getting to know the many new faces. He believes it's helped everyone jell quicker.

"This group is just a little bit more quiet, I’d say, than other DB personalities that I’ve been around," Gilman said. "It’s been a little bit harder to get the shell out of them a little more. I would take them out to dinner every week during OTA’s, we’ll hang out, just little stuff like that.

"They’re a great group. I love every single one of them. They’ve welcomed me with open arms. They are just hard workers, just straight to the point. Kind of like me, a no-nonsense, just 'get to work and get after it' kind of people.”

Given the quiet demeanor of the seemingly laser-focused collective, Gilman says he's adopted a vocal leadership style. That's been evident as the summer's gone on.

"I mean, you kind of have to be [vocal]," Gilman said. "I’ve evolved in that way as a player. I wouldn’t say I’m the loudest, but I feel like when I speak, my words mean a lot. I try to be as genuine as possible and be a friend, be a brother, and that’s kind of how I approach it.”

On the field, Gilman is expected to bring a playmaking nature to Spagnuolo and defensive backs coach Dave Merritt's bunch. He's got 27 career passes broken up in his career, in addition to six fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles and five interceptions. For a defense that doesn't specialize in taking the ball away, that's a critical get for the toolbox.

It's clear that during games, on the practice field and in the locker room, however, that Gilman is fulfilling another role as well. Heck, that apparently stretches to group settings throughout the week. With so many moving pieces this offseason, the Chiefs now hope the tone-setting will pay off.

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