Kansas City Chiefs Hidden Gems: 3 Secret Superstars On The 2026 Roster

The thing about sports dynasties is that they always come to an end.

The Kansas City Chiefs were as good and as compelling as any NFL team ever has been from 2018-2024, when they sported a 90-26 regular season record and a .776 win percentage — by far the NFL’s best; the Baltimore Ravens ranked second in that time with a 78-38 record and a .672 win percentage. They appeared in four Super Bowls, winning three in five seasons from 2019-2023, they never finished a season with a lower result than an AFC Championship game loss, and they put Kansas City on the map as a championship town as it had never been before.

2025’s 6-11 relative faceplant told us a lot about the future of the Chiefs franchise. Primarily that if there’s to be another Chiefs dynasty soon, it will look markedly different than the one before. Yes, GM Brett Veach, head coach Andy Reid, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and that Patrick Mahomes guy are still in place, but so much has changed around them.

Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Bryan Cook, Leo Chenal, Marquise Brown, Jawaan Taylor, Charles Omenihu, Isiah Pacheco, Derrick Nnadi, and Michael Danna are among the veterans of import, starters or not, who walked out the door via trade or free agency this offseason. Travis Kelce is heading into his 14th NFL season, and Mahomes is heading into his 10th, believe it or not.

So, any new Chiefs dynasty will need to be done with a lot of different names and faces. That will be true not only of the new stars, but the guys whose names have not caught up in terms of national recognition to what they can accomplish on the field.

To that end, I’ve identified three Hidden Gems for the 2026 Chiefs — one underrated veteran, one underrated free agent and one underrated draft pick.

Underrated veteran: CB Nohl Williams

Losing McDuffie and Watson to the Rams via trade and free agency, respectively, were two big hits to a Chiefs defense that ranked 16th in DVOA in 2025 — down from 12th in 2024, and seventh in 2023

A few years ago, as that defense was being built, Spags told me that he had never coached a defense with so many young players who had so much on the ball. Now, it’ll be up to Spags to bring the thing together similarly with different guys. One 2025 rookie who stood out was Cal cornerback Nohl Williams, and that one was relatively easy to predict from a schematic perspective.

Throughout his time as the Chiefs’ DC, which goes back to the 2019 season, Spags has always called the NFL’s highest rate of plays in which at least one of his cornerbacks were in press coverage. It happened again last season — the Chiefs had no cornerbacks in press coverage on just 13% of their snaps per Pro Football Focus; the Chicago Bears ranked second with 24%.

Enter Nohl Williams, the 2025 third-round pick out of Cal. Last season in 458 total snaps and 272 coverage reps, Williams allowed 19 catches on 35 targets for 223 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, eight pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 83.4. But when he was targeted in press coverage, Williams allowed just 17 catches on 33 targets for 108 yards, seven of those eight pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 58.7.

If you saw Williams’ college tape before he was drafted, this would come as no surprise.

Now, with McDuffie and Watson gone, it will be up to Williams and first-round pick Mansoor Delane (who allowed a 0.0 opponent passer rating when in man coverage last season for LSU) to take the reins.

Even the quarterback has noticed Williams’ improvement in moving from Year 1 to Year 2.

“I think Nohl Williams kind of is the first one in my mind,” Mahomes said on August 8, when asked which of the rookies and second-year guys have shown the most improvement. “I knew how talented he is, but you can tell when the guy starts to get it, starts to figure out formations, figure out motions and know where to put himself at to make it easier on himself. So, he’s someone that’s kind of been big.”

Well, he’ll need to be.

Underrated free agent: Safety Alohi Gilman

It’s not just McDuffie and Watson that the Chiefs are replacing from their 2025 secondary — there’s also safety Bryan Cook, who signed a three-year, $40.25 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. To replace Cook, the Chiefs signed former Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens safety Alohi Gilman to a three-year, $24 million contract with $14.5 million guaranteed.

Last season for both the Ravens and Chargers — he was traded from L.A. to Baltimore for edge-rusher Odafe Oweh on October 7 — the 5’10”, 201-pound Gilman allowed 27 catches on 41 targets for 403 yards, 225 yards after the catch, one touchdown, no interceptions, eight pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 114.2. He also had 61 solo tackles, 17 stops, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, and two quarterback pressures in 11 pass-rushing reps.

Gilman had at least 100 snaps last season in the slot, the box, and the deep third, and as he’s heading into his seventh NFL season, he brings experience to a younger secondary, and a safety duo alongside Chamarri Conner.

“Obviously a lot of respect for Spags, and what he’s been able to do in his career,” Gilman said in May, when asked how he’s adjusting to what Spagnuolo does. “I think just the amount of layers that he’s had over the long career, and the depth and the way that’s he’s able to put together his scheme is probably the biggest adjustment. A lot of different little nuances. Whether its preference or scheme, stuff that he’s been able to put together throughout the years. I would say more just the depth of it. I’ve seen pretty much a lot of different – most of the coverages since I’ve been in the league. But just the depth and the detail is definitely the biggest adjustment, and it makes it fun for me.”

Gilman can handle the depth and detail.

Underrated draft pick: WR Cyrus Allen

The Chiefs’ receiver room is… well, what it is. Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, and Tyquan Thornton are the projected top three starters, but clearly the guy to watch is Cincinnati’s Cyrus Allen, who the Chiefs took with the 176th pick in the fifth round.

Why the 5’11”, 183-pound Allen lasted as long as he did in the draft after a 2025 season in which he had 51 catches, 674 yards, and 13 touchdowns last season is best left to the vagaries of time, but safe to say that the Chiefs are already pretty happy with that particular bargain. Since he arrived in KC, Allen has done everything possible to validate the idea that he’s worth much more to his new team.

As he showed in the Chiefs’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams last Saturday, it isn’t taking long for Allen to get the hang of the NFL game. And this was a couple weeks after he suffered a left shin bone bruise in training camp on August 1.

“He’s been doing well at camp, before he got hurt, and then when he was coming back here – for a couple days that he was back, it looked like he picked right up from there,” Reid said of Allen postgame. “I thought he did a nice job for the most part there with catching the football and route running. He’s got some quickness to him, so I look forward to getting him fully healthy and ready to go.” 

“He’s got a good feel. He has good quickness, and he knows how to set routes up, which sometimes takes a while for young guys to learn that, but he’s got a good feel for that.” 

Primary a slot receiver in college, Allen does have a bit of outside ability as well, and given the Chiefs’ preference for condensed formations (34% of their offensive snaps last season), Allen could help further blur the lines between inside and outside with his unusual understanding of the position’s nuances.