General manager Brett Veach and the Kansas City Chiefs have plenty of needs to address after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
One position Kansas City apparently won't be desperate to fill -- aside from the obvious, thanks to quarterback Patrick Mahomes -- is safety.
The Chiefs inked Alohi Gilman to a three-year contract this offseason, an addition that Veach believes provides Kanas City's secondary with a talent similar to those of past Super Bowl-winning units.
"Over the years, having a Tyrann Mathieu and then having a Justin Reid -- just having a cerebral player there that sees the field, can be a leader back there, get everyone lined up (is important)," Veach said Thursday, via the . "It doesn't mean we won't add, if we can get a similar player that has those leadership capabilities back there, but (we) certainly didn't want to go through an offseason and kind of come away after the draft and not have a player like that.
"I think (Gilman) fits that mold, and when you had success -- you had a guy like the Badger and you had a guy like Justin Reid back there -- Alohi fits that bill."
Success was certainly had employing Mathieu, a one-time Super Bowl champion who played for the Chiefs from 2019-2021, and Reid, who helped the Chiefs to two Lombardi Trophies from 2022-2024. With Bryan Cook, also a two-time Super Bowl champ, departed via free agency, it's now on Gilman to carry that leadership torch at safety.
Gilman, a 2020 sixth-round pick who has carved out a role as an NFL starter, might not often be mentioned in the same breath as a player such as Mathieu, a three-time All-Pro who was on the 2010 All-Decade Team, but the Chiefs -- the owners of three straight top-10 defenses -- identified similar abilities.
To his credit, Gilman is coming off his most impactful season as a pro. Despite getting traded midseason from the Los Angeles Chargers to the Baltimore Ravens, he delivered a career-high 90 tackles, with a nine passes defensed, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and his first defensive touchdown. He can roam the outfield and set up others for success, both pre-play and during the action.
The Chiefs will require him to prove Veach right, especially as they rebuild the cornerback room following the departures of Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams.
Kansas City could also use better pass-rushing oomph and more talent at wide receiver and the offensive line.
Those holes and the addition of Gilman won't preclude them from looking at safety in the right spot in next week's draft, but his presence certainly provides a comfort.
