The Kansas City Chiefs are going to look different on the back end this season…

Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Bryan Cook all departed for greener pastures, with the two cornerbacks landing alongside one another with the Los Angeles Rams and the latter now being a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Alohi Gilman, Kader Kohou, L’Jarius Sneed, Kaiir Elam, and first-round pick Mansoor Delane were brought in to try and replace that lost production, but only one can shoulder the responsibility of leading the entire unit.

It’s no mystery, either:

S Alohi Gilman

Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 201lbs
Age: 28
Contract: 3yr, $24M
2025: 17 G, 9 PD, 90 TKL, 2 FR

Gilman, 28, brings some well-needed stability and veteran leadership to a unit that consists mostly of players trying to find what once made them great, former first-round flameouts, and rookies.

How do we know?

Gilman did exactly that last season after being traded from the Los Angeles Chargers to the Baltimore Ravens, joining them midseason to record nine pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and one of the most electrifying defensive touchdowns you’ve ever seen.

Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo needs reliable players in the secondary in order to get as creative as he does with the front-seven, so it helps having a communicator that can play deep, cause havoc in the box, blitz, and disguise certain coverages. Sneed and Delane are strictly outside cornerbacks. Kohou is battling for a roster spot alongside Chris Roland-Wallace and Jadon Canady. Chamarri Conner and Jaden Hicks have familiarity with the system, but there’s a reason they spent decent money on Gilman.

If he picks things up and anchors an at-times unreliable group, this defense will be quite alright. If he can’t, perhaps last season’s poor showing was just a sign of things to come.