The Chiefs may be getting a much-needed boost in the secondary just in time for a Week 4 trip to Las Vegas.
Kansas City is set to face the Raiders in a meeting of 3-0 teams, and Andy Reid sounded optimistic Monday that Chamarri Conner could finally be ready to return after missing the first three games. That would be a welcome development after the safeties were stressed in Sunday’s win over the Dolphins.
“He practiced last week, and he'll get going this week, too. There's a good chance he'll be out there. We'll see how the week goes, but it looks like there'll be a pretty decent chance.”
Conner has been sidelined since training camp, when he injured his knee in a collision with wide receiver Tyquan Thornton. What was initially expected to be a short absence stretched into a longer one because of swelling, and the fourth-year safety wound up missing most of the season’s opening month.
Reid said Conner returned to practice last Wednesday, but his work was limited throughout the week. He was listed as doubtful heading into the game, then ultimately ruled out. In his place, the Chiefs leaned on Alohi Gilman and Jaden Hicks once again.
That arrangement has held the defense together, but it has also exposed how thin the group is at safety. Even with Conner healthy, the position group wasn’t exactly overflowing with depth.
Gilman, Conner and Hicks form the core, and there isn’t much behind them. The Chiefs have survived the first three weeks at 3-0, including a divisional win over the Broncos, but they could clearly use the reinforcement.
Against Miami, the issues showed up. Gilman had trouble tackling at times, including poor angles that opened the door for chunk plays.
Hicks also had some rough patches in coverage, and the Dolphins were able to attack the unit throughout the afternoon. Both players have been on the field for every snap through the first three weeks, which only adds to the strain.
None of that is a knock on Gilman or Hicks. It’s more a reflection of how the Chiefs planned to use the group.
Conner was expected to start, while Hicks handled work in nickel and dime packages. Getting Conner back would give Kansas City a more experienced safety than anyone else in Steve Spagnuolo’s system and ease the burden on players who have been asked to do it all.
Conner also brings versatility and instincts that fit the job. He can be moved around in the secondary, but he really stands out in the box, where his recognition allows him to play fast and decisive. And with Conner in a contract year after being drafted by Kansas City in the fourth round in 2023, there’s added motivation attached to the return.
For now, nothing is locked in. Conner still has not made his debut, and another week of practice could still change the picture. But if the Chiefs do get him back against the Raiders, it would arrive at exactly the right time.
In Other News...
Former Chiefs LB Leo Chenal In Frightening Injury Situation
Leo Chenals exit from the Commanders Week 3 game against the Seahawks brought a sobering pause to a matchup that had already been demanding physically. The former Chiefs linebacker, now in Washington after four seasons in Kansas City, suffered a neck injury and was taken off the field on a stretcher, turning immediate attention away from the scoreboard and toward his health.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn later said Chenal has feeling in his extremities and is undergoing further testing at the hospital, which offered at least some initial relief after a frightening scene. For Chiefs fans who watched Chenal develop into a reliable piece of their defense, the update is hard to process, and it leaves Washington waiting for more clarity on a player they invested in with a three-year deal. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Broadcast Had An Awkward Taylor Swift Moment Sunday
Taylor Swift had a perfectly good reason to miss the Chiefs-Dolphins game Sunday, since she was in Los Angeles at the MTV Video Music Awards for the debut of her Agent Zero video. Back in Kansas City, Travis Kelce still gave the home crowd something to celebrate, finding the end zone in a game that, for plenty of viewers, had one eye on the field and another on the broadcasts reaction shots.
The awkward part came on the CBS telecast, where the crew briefly went looking for Swift at the stadium without realizing she was halfway across the country. For Chiefs fans, it was a small but familiar reminder of how much attention follows the Kelce-Swift orbit, even on nights when the biggest pop star in the picture is nowhere near the building. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Just Got Dragged Into Another Officiating Firestorm
The latest Chiefs game has once again put the officials under a microscope, this time after a play in which a Kansas City defender grabbed and pulled at Malik Willis helmet while bringing him down, yet no penalty was flagged. The no-call quickly became a flashpoint, with fans across social media zeroing in on what they saw as a clear miss and another example of how every close call involving Kansas City seems to draw instant scrutiny.
For the Chiefs, it is the kind of controversy that has started to follow them even when the football itself is only part of the conversation. Any play like this feeds a larger debate around perceived officiating favoritism, and the reaction was immediate enough to ensure the clip would keep circulating well after the game ended. Whether the league or officials address it directly is one thing, but the bigger issue is that these moments now arrive with built-in suspicion attached. [Read more 🡒]