When the Kansas CIty Chiefs let Justin Reid walk in free agency last spring, the assumption is that the secondary would be just fine. Bryan Cook was already in place as a starter, and Chamarri Conner was around to help flesh things out. Most of all, however, the excitement around Jaden Hicks as the Chiefs’ next man up made fans okay with a veteran-less rotation.

Remember, for the last six seasons, the Chiefs have employed a trusted enforcer on the back end of the defense, ever since Steve Spagnuolo’s arrival to replace Bob Sutton as defensive coordinator. First, the Chiefs signed Tyrann Mathieu to a three-year deal to provide an anchor in the defensive backfield. When Mathieu moved on, the Chiefs transitioned to Reid as the new experienced leader to mentor his younger teammates.

This year has been different, both in makeup and in results. While Cook comes with plenty of experience in his fourth season for K.C., the former second-round pick is still on his rookie deal. Conner was drafted the year after Cook, and Hicks was a fourth-round pick in 2024. Reid was allowed to leave for New Orleans on a three-year deal in free agency, and the Chiefs spent their money elsewhere.

Something is not clicking for Jaden Hicks this season in the Chiefs’ secondary, and it’s reflected in his usage rates.

While the Chiefs’ defensive metrics look solid overall, the defense has clearly lacked a Reid-like presence in multiple losses. From communication to tackling, the absence has been felt. And instead of seeing Hicks blossom in his second season with such a clear path to more playing time, the usage rate for the second-year safety has been baffling.

Hicks played 13 snaps on Sunday. He played 4 total snaps against the Buffalo Bills in Week 9. The only stretch in which he’s played a lower percentage of defensive snaps was when the Chiefs were easing him in during the first several weeks of his rookie campaign. Even last postseason, Hicks was in on 64 percent of snaps even with Reid around. Why is Hicks not being used in 2025?

It looks as if the Chiefs are viewing Hicks as an asset only in certain matchups. Against the New York Giants (Week 3) and Washington Commanders (Week 8), Hicks is tasked with 70-80 percent of all snaps. In other games, such as Detroit Lions (Week 6), he’s barely playing at all, with only 11 snaps for the entire game. However, things have hit a new low in recent weeks.

Hicks is now losing reps to Christian Roland-Wallace, who is a nice find as a former rookie free agent who previously excelled on special teams. Roland-Wallace also came up with a couple of nice defensive plays against Denver. That’s a positive development for the player, but the unit overall is still showing growing pains. It’s also not good for the future to have Hicks regressing—even in terms of trust from coaches.

Cook is in a contract season and is likely going to be priced out of K.C. The Chiefs already let Reid walk, and they have bills coming due elsewhere. (Have you seen the looming cap hit for Chris Jones?) The Chiefs needed the safety position to work without a major investment, because they’re only going to stay young—most likely. But if not, things get a bit complicated if Brett Veach has to go shopping at the position or consider extending Cook.

Hicks’ development (or lack thereof) is a minor-to-major issue, depending on which lens you’re looking at the Chiefs through. A lot of runway remains in 2025, so perhaps the Chiefs will give him more playing time in upcoming matchups. However, for now the evidence only shows that the next man up at safety has been skipped over, and that’s not a good thing for the present or future.