The Chiefs have raced into their bye week at 4-0, and the offense is doing the heavy lifting behind Kenneth Walker and a resurgent Patrick Mahomes. But even with Kansas City rolling, there’s still a glaring spot on the roster that needs work, and it might already have a solution sitting in-house.
That spot is safety.
The wide receiver group is dealing with injuries, offensive tackle still raises questions, and the defense has its own issue to sort through. Of those concerns, the safety play stands out as the weakest part of the roster. That’s why Xavier Nwankpa is suddenly a name worth pushing forward.
Nwankpa wasn’t supposed to go unnoticed. Entering the 2026 NFL Draft, he was viewed by most analysts as a fourth- or fifth-round talent with the chance to help right away. Instead, he went undrafted and landed with Kansas City as one of the team’s top post-draft priority pickups.
He arrived with plenty of college production behind him. A former five-star recruit, Nwankpa started three years at Iowa and built his reputation on power, toughness and versatility.
He could hold up in the box, finish tackles in space and handle zone coverage. The knock came in man coverage, where quicker slot receivers could give him trouble with routes breaking across his face.
So far, the NFL sample size is tiny - one snap, one game-changing play. On that lone rep, Nwankpa forced a game-winning interception against the Raiders. That obviously isn’t enough to define him as a pro, but it does show why Kansas City should at least take a longer look.
Welcome to the NFL Xavier Nwankpa
Hyped the Iowa S up as a potential LB convert but hell he’s making a game-winning play for the Chiefs’ secondary
Raiders future is so bright pic.twitter.com/4V8rZ889k4
- Clint Goss (@NFLDraftDome) October 4, 2026
Kansas City’s defensive makeover has included major spending up front and the addition of star cornerback Mansoor Delane with the sixth overall pick. The Chiefs want to lean on man coverage, where Nwankpa’s physicality near the line can matter, and they also use Cover 2 - a scheme in which he thrived at Iowa.
He’s already earned trust on special teams, where he’s been one of Kansas City’s best players. With the safeties struggling and the bye week offering a reset, the path is there for Nwankpa to get a real opportunity on defense.
Xavier Nwankpa LEVELS Mendoza with a huge LEGAL hit that turns heated on the Indiana sideline pic.twitter.com/xA5nNgajL1
- Heavens! (@HeavensFX) September 27, 2025
In Other News...
Chiefs Still Have A Left Tackle Problem They Cant Define
Josh Simmons arrived with the kind of left tackle promise Kansas City needed, even if his route to the NFL was complicated from the start. A torn patellar tendon two years ago wiped out his season and knocked his draft stock, but his rehab was strong enough for the Chiefs to give him a real look, and he opened the 2025 season as the starter for the first five games.
Since then, the position has turned into something harder to define. Simmons has been out of the lineup for stretches and later landed on injured reserve with a wrist issue, leaving the Chiefs still searching for clarity on their blind side. Even now, his return timeline remains unsettled, which only adds to the unease around a spot Kansas City would prefer not to keep guessing about. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Stars Spent Bye Week In Ways Fans Will Appreciate
The Chiefs early-season bye week gave several players a chance to step away from the facility and into ordinary life for a change. Rookie running back Emmett Johnson spent part of it at high school and college football games in Nebraska, center Creed Humphrey used the downtime to take engagement photos with his fiance, and linebacker Nick Bolton was among those taking in a Missouri football game.
Travis Kelces break, meanwhile, had the kind of headline-grabbing flair fans have come to expect, with the tight end showing up to support the Cleveland Guardians before later being seen out to dinner in New York City with Taylor Swift. For a team that will soon be back on the practice field, the bye week offered a brief reset, even if a few of its biggest names stayed very much in the public eye. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Got The Bye Week Break They Needed Before A Tricky Stretch
The Chiefs spent their bye week staying unbeaten at 4-0 while the rest of the AFC West did enough to keep the division picture shifting around them. The Raiders fell to the Patriots, and the Broncos picked up a win even with an offense that never looked especially sharp, leaving Kansas City in the familiar spot of watching the standings while getting a breather.
What makes the next phase more interesting is that the biggest pressure may not come from the division at all. The Jaguars and Ravens are now part of the chase around Kansas City, with the Bills still looming on Monday night, and the Chiefs are heading back to work with a tricky stretch ahead that starts against the Chargers. [Read more 🡒]