Laddie Morse
The Kansas CIty Chiefs may not have Justin Reid in future years, but there are enough other excellent Safeties on the roster to keep the back end safe for years to come. Besides this is likely Justin Reid’s last season. His contract calls for $14.25M + a Prorated signing bonus of $3.5M making his total cap hit this year = $17.75M.
Pictured on the cover image includes (from Left to Right): Chamarri Conner, Jaden Hicks, Bryan Cook and Nazeeh Johnson. Some may believe Chamarri Conner is a CB, but his profile says otherwise.
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Chamarri Conner
NFLDraftBuzz.com says of Conner:
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“Consideration for a move to safety with
a combination of range and sure tackling.”
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Conner may have single-handedly won the Bengals game on Sunday(0:16):
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With that win vs the Bengals secure, the Chiefs go to 2-and-0:
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Chamarri Conner was a 4th round pick by the Chiefs in the 2023 draft. He is 6-foot-0 and weighs in at 202 lbs.. He runs a 4.51 40 yard dash which is plenty fast for a Safety to run down opposing WRs. Conner had an excellent 2023 playoffs:
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Jaden Hicks
Jaden Hicks runs a 4.49 40 yard dash, is 6-foot-2, and 215 lbs.. Some have called him the steal of the 2024 draft. Hicks was also a 4th rounder and was taken with the 133rd pick overall in this year’s NFL Draft.
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In the play above, Hicks submarines his way to the RB to make the tackle. His ability to go low and reach the desired target reminds of LB Derrick Johnson.
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Adapted from Pro-Football-Reference – Photo Credit
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All of the players mentioned above, except for Mike Pennel (including Jaden Hicks), were either drafted or signed as a UDFA by the Chiefs. So, Hicks is part of the wave of players drafted or signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, which showed up in the most recent game vs the Bengals. Hicks had 48 total snaps in the game vs the Bengals (on Defense or Special Teams). Here’s an INT Hicks had while he was at Washington State (0:11):
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Bryan Cook
Bryan Cook was a second round pick for the Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft, 62nd overall. Almost all of the picks in that draft were winners. By winners, I mean starters or heavy contributors.
Note: Darian Kinnard, who is 6-foot-5 and 335 lbs. was stolen away from the Chiefs PS by the Philadelphia Eagles back in February, so, he was here for the Chiefs two Super Bowl wins.
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Adapted from Pro-Football-Reference – Photo Credit
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Bryan Cook has already had several tipped passes or breakup (0:10):
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Bryan Cook had a great breakup and tipped pass for an INT in the AFC Championship game (0:19):
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This is one of my all time favorite plays by any Chiefs player (0:18):
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Nazeeh Johnson
Nazeeh Johnson was taken in the 7th round with the 259th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. That was eight picks after Isiah Pacheco and just three picks ahead of Mr. Irrelevant that year: QB Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers). The first thing that jumps out at me about Nazeeh Johnson is his 40 time. Nazeeh runs a 4.38 40 yard dash. Johnson stands 5-foot-10 and 199 lbs.. Here’s an interview with Eric Warfield of Chief Concerns where Nazeeh Johnson talks about L’Jarius Sneed’s influence, the Three-peat, BJ Thompson’s situation and more (5:09):
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Nazeeh Johnson missed all of last season because of a torn ACL. He’s fought his way back and is now on the active roster. They say it’s always a good thing when you get DC Steve Spagnuolo’s specific attention. Here’s Nazeeh Johnson with Spags, getting some personal tutoring (this is from two summers ago when NJ was a rookie):
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Some have called Nazeeh Johnson a corner, but the Chiefs list him as a Safety. I’ll go along with the Chiefs take. This also gives DC Steve Spagnuolo the opportunity to mix and match his Corners and Safeties any way he wants them to play or matchup.
What do you think?
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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