The Chiefs’ safety room is suddenly looking a lot less stable than it did a week ago.
With active roster cuts looming and the regular season creeping closer, Kansas City is dealing with injuries to both of its projected starting safeties, Alohi Gilman and Chamarri Conner. That alone would be enough to raise eyebrows. Add in a depth chart that doesn’t offer much proven help, and the concern gets real in a hurry.
There’s still time before the Sept. 5 opener against the Denver Broncos, but there isn’t much clarity yet on either player. Gilman is dealing with a back injury, while Conner is nursing a knee issue. Both have already missed practice and preseason action, and both are expected to start when healthy.
Gilman’s issue is the more recent one. He was added to the injury report before Saturday’s preseason game against the Buccaneers after his back began to spasm during warm-ups at Raymond James Stadium.
He ended up missing the game and was also out of practice Monday. With Friday’s preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks not carrying much weight, it would make sense for the Chiefs to keep him sidelined there as well.
Conner’s situation has lingered longer. He and Tyquan Thornton “banged knees,” as Andy Reid put it, during practice last Wednesday.
Kansas City tried to work him back in gradually, but that didn’t stick. He has stayed out since then, and Reid said Monday that he was “getting better” without offering any timeline beyond that.
The bigger problem for Kansas City is what happens if one or both of those players are not ready for Week 1.
Gilman was brought in on a three-year deal this spring to help steady a young secondary after Bryan Cook left for the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency. Conner, meanwhile, is the returning piece entering what looks like a very important contract year. Those two are the safest bets on the roster right now, and the drop-off after them is obvious.
Jaden Hicks has had a strong preseason, but he still comes with questions. He spent much of last season in Steve Spagnuolo’s doghouse because of mental mistakes, and he has not yet shown he can handle starter-level reps over a full stretch in his first two seasons.
After that, the options get thin fast. The Chiefs have rookie free agents such as Xavier Nwankpa, DeShon Singleton and Tanner McAlister in the mix. Chris Roland-Wallace can move around, but he has been standing out at slot corner during camp, not as a safety answer.
If Kansas City does go looking for help, that move would tell the story. Any addition on the transaction wire would suggest the Chiefs are not fully comfortable with the availability of one or both veterans. There is still time for Gilman and Conner to get right, but with the season approaching, safety has become one of the more uneasy spots on the roster.
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